Beginning and End
by Imasuperher0
Summary: Big 4 story in which Jack meets the others and knows that he will continue living without them. Pitch, of course, has to help stir Jack's fear of being abandoned. Rated T because all of my other stories are and I want to hold to tradition (plus there are some angsty/depressing vibes).
1. Beginning

**Okay so after an eternity of hiatus and lack of motivation, I finally decided to post. I can't promise I'll keep up with this too heavily, but I don't expect this to be long. I do, however expect this to branch off into another fic featuring different drabbles of the parts I skim in this one so don't worry about the blanks just yet.**

 **This doesn't really need much setting up since everything is explained in the story, but I'll have a go anyway.**

 **So basically, this takes place** _ **after**_ **all but RotG with the exception that, while Rapunzel finished her story, she can still use her healing 'powers' without having to cry. Hiccup made it through until just before the second movie so we are seeing the hella-attractive version instead of the adorably awkward alternative. Merida, like the others, is completely done with her story, though without any changes physically or otherwise. It'll be fairly obvious where Jack stands, but just to set you up, he is still alone and ghosting through his 300 years without memory or purpose. After watching a commentary thing about the character, I found out that the designers made him to be 14 in the movie (definitely hit above that mark in character appearance, but I'm not complaining) but I'm all for baby Jack and am knocking him down to 12ish because he is adorable.**

 **I will warn you now that Jack is by FAR my favorite out of these characters and I'm not afraid to prove it through some serious Jack 'wumpage' (I have no idea what that means, but I've come to associate it with whatever 'hurtJack' is).**

 **I hope you enjoy my new brainchild and as always:**

 **Read. Review. Enjoy!**

Watching. That was all he had done- could do –since his birth. Escaping village after village, town after town, city after city, full of those unaware of his existence, he could only watch as they went about their lives as if there was not a frozen child begging for someone to just _see_ him.

It wasn't their doing; he knew this. There was no point in blaming them for something that was clearly his fault. Maybe he didn't exist at all or he was a ghost. Maybe he was supposed to be doing something important and simply couldn't remember or he had done something terribly wrong and was paying the price. Whatever the reason, he had always hoped it wasn't the latter for what could he have done that was worthy of such a punishment; hardly existing in a world without a friend or family or even an acquaintance?

Every day passed with the dying hope that someday, someone, somewhere had to _see_ him. How he still held to that sliver of light within himself was a wonder to even his clouded mind, but it shone in his core however frail- always dimming with each passing day.

Keeping his thoughts as light as he could manage, he filled his time traveling. After 250 years, there was not a culture he didn't recognize, a species he hadn't discovered, a language he didn't know, a friend to greet each morning. Everywhere he went, despite his inward scolding not to hold out on hope, he felt the light inside of him get crushed as more and more humans passed through him with nothing more than a slight shiver.

Each one was like a brand being seared onto his heart- if he still had one, of course. He could remember the feeling and face of every human who came too close. Eventually, he went out of his way to ensure it would never happen again. If the world wanted a phantom, that's what he would become if for nothing more than to avoid the pain the mortal's ignorance scarred onto him.

Forever the child, this avoidance soon became a game of sorts. He would dance himself around a crowd of humans as they raced about their lives. Winning the game was a hollow victory, but the pain of losing far outweighed the temptation to give up.

Another game he had come to enjoy was far more common among the children of one small town in particular. Burgess, Michigan held a strange- yet understandable –part of the eternal boy as it was the host of his beginning on a small pond within the grasp of a thick forest bordering the small civilization. Time had changed the houses and people, but nothing could rid the spark of happiness within the children's eyes when a thick blanket of snow began to drift from the graying sky; perfect, packable snow ideal for the random snowball fights that cropped up wherever they deemed fit. Even the adults couldn't say how these games began or where the perfectly crafted snowballs appearing on the ground came from as their children were pulled into the battle of shrieking laughter.

The frozen child joined in the fun as he gracefully wove between the excited bundles of happiness scooping up his own ammunition and creating more for them when their own supply ran low. Flying around above wool-covered heads, the boy could always find a smile gracing his pale lips while the children darted to and fro, casting their own attacks while avoiding the retaliation. Never missing his target, the instigator would always join in when the balance of skill was off, but he didn't necessarily need a reason.

Of course, all good things must end for the lonely boy as he was left behind on the disturbed snow, watching yet again as his playmates were lead into warm homes with the promise of blankets and steaming broth by the fire. He could only wonder if he had ever been blessed with something so simple and what he had done to lose it.

All of the joy gained from his fun and games bled away as the pain of loneliness set in. One last glance at the moon, his silent overseer, and he was gone with a silent flurry of snowflakes dancing in his wake.

Traveling had been very educating the young boy as he was made aware of several other groups of people and creature he had never seen.

Overseas lay a village known for harsh climates and tough Vikings made so by the dwindling number of dragons attacking their homes at night. The eternal boy could attest to how fewer dragons there were than in the years past, but only one other held the sentiment. It was a small, outcaste boy who- much to the winter child's surprise –befriended a downed-by-him dragon and led his village into a new age. He mourned with the dragon at the loss of his tail as he soon after did with the boy at the loss of his leg. He had assisted as best he could by thickening the dense clouds to hide the dragon and his rider from the queen as well as coat the two in a thick layer if ice as they were engulfed by flames in hope of protecting them. He didn't necessarily fail, but couldn't help but feel the weight of the poetic irony infused with the injury shared between dragon and rider.

Reaching only a bit further around the globe, lay another village full of Viking-like humans with who lived a lively girl with a fiery temper to match her unkempt mass of red hair. He watched and understood her reluctance to follow the orders given her, but could not stay his vain attempt to warn her away from the potion the magician offered her. She did not listen as she could not hear him and went about her merry way, facing the challenge of her changed mother and fighting to right the wrong she had done. The boy did all he could to slow the malevolent monster that was preventing the mother and daughter from reuniting, but there was little he could do aside from what he already had- beating the beast back with his staff until the princess managed to get far enough away. It wasn't much, but it was enough so that she could fight back. The bond created between the queen and princess had been significantly strengthened by the ordeal, not to say they suddenly agreed on their viewpoints as they were both bullheadedly stubborn, but they shared a common ground now that they hadn't before and that steadied them both.

On the same side of the world, he watched a healing flower bring a child-princess into a cruel world that ripped her away from her parents not even a year later by an evil witch who cared only for her beauty. He was only a spectator as she grew, unaware of the wrongness dealt to her, loving the witch as if she were the mother who tirelessly searched for her missing child. Try as he might, he could not warn the girl of her plight, but remained unseen as the girl's curiosity won over her fear leading her to follow the lead of a thief and a guard's horse. Laughing as she brought a song into a bar of criminals and crying out in worry as she was chained by the very woman she had once called mother, he watched. Needless to say, he helped in any way he could. Freezing the ropes that held her, he used his staff to set the girl free, but he could only watch as she held the dying thief in her arms, crying as her once-powerful hair lay useless around her. The joy he felt burst within him when the changed man was healed was nothing more than temporary as he soon thrust back into his empty world of solitude.

He envied the lives of these three the most.

What would it be like to be in such an adventure, with an unknown, unseen protector keeping watch as you fought for your beliefs? He could only imagine the satisfying feeling brought on by the victory each of them achieved. How proud they must be of themselves.

He envied them and their pride; their purpose for he had yet to find his own.

As different as each of these humans were from those the unseen child had been witness to, he had a sliver of hope that maybe one of them would have the open mindedness to finally _see_ him. Though he tried to keep what little hope he retained safe, there was no stopping the shattering feeling of each one of them passing through him.

Maybe he really didn't exist at all.

When not instigating snowball fights in Burgess, the winter boy found himself keeping close tabs on his 'favorite three' as they were close enough to each other that he could visit all of them within the same stretch of time. He watched the Viking boy grow little-by-little until he was well over his own height and several years ahead. The fiery redhead grew closer to her mother, more annoyed with her amusing little brothers, and older as well, though she was only a few years behind the Viking. The flower princess was the closest in age to their protector, but she still surpassed his young age as he watched her spend every waking moment with her family to make up for lost time.

More envy welled up within him as he was left to silently wonder what he had done that was so wrong as to rob him of what they had; a family, a life, a friend.

Another unanswered glance at the moon did nothing more than cloud his eyes further.

Maybe he didn't deserve it.

This thought was soon-after chased away by the sound of deep chuckling from behind him. This made no sense as it was well past midnight and too cold for anyone to justify a walk through the abandoned stretch of the Arctic 'wasteland'. Turning slowly, afraid to have his hopes cast away yet again, the child faced the being behind him.

They both stood silently for a time. Of course, the boy had no reason to speak as he was only meant to listen; to watch as the world went on without him.

Another chuckle caused him to tilt his head slightly. What was so funny? What was this stranger laughing at? The questions as to why he was here and how he got there didn't seem to matter to the boy as his hopes would only cling to the possibility and be left bare to the cruel world around him.

Eventually, the eternal child couldn't bear to be patient long enough for this silent stranger to speak. Though the man was looking directly into his eyes, causing them to cast themselves away from that intense gaze, the boy called to the wind and let it lift him off the ground. Just before he disappeared, the strangest of sensations wrapped about his thin wrist.

His breath caught in his throat.

The man had-was touching him. He was able to touch him- to _see_ him. He fought against the torrent of tears that threatened to pour down his face as he gently landed back onto the welcoming snow. The feeling of touch, while overwhelmingly amazing, was quickly becoming too much for the starved child. Tugging carefully, it was soon found that he was not getting his hand back from the man until he wanted to let go.

Wait. If the man could touch him and _see_ him…could he…?

It was almost too much to ask, but the hope was too blindingly in charge of his mind to let the thought go without trying.

"Hello?" His voice was small, weak from disuse, but the message was clear.

Time slowed to a stop as the child held his breath as to not miss the answer, but none came and the light behind the boy's eyes was dimming with each passing moment. He was a breath away from giving up; of crumbling into a puddle of self-loathing and confusion before there was an answer.

"Hello, child," the dark stranger said in a voice of pure satin. Malicious intent rolled off the man in waves, but the pure joy within the boy blinded him to any warning his sub-conscious could come up with as questions burst from his mouth.

"Hi! You can see me! You're the first person who can! Do you know why? Did I do something wrong? Why doesn't the Moon talk to me anymore? How come I can make ice and snow and frost? Are we the only two like this? Can they see you? What's your name? Do you have-"

"Hush."

It was just one word, but with it, much of the boy's excitement vanished in the place of sadness. Maybe his initial excitement was too much. Maybe this man just had a quick question and would leave. Maybe the only person who could see him didn't want to talk to him.

"What is your name?"

The boy made sure to take a deep breath before answering. "I'm Jack Frost."

"Did Manny tell you this?"

 _Who?_ He wondered, but decided it was best to answer the man as well as he could. "I don't know who that is, but the Moon told me after I woke up," he explained simply, resisting the urge to spill every exciting moment of his birth before the overwhelming depression that set in soon after.

The man paused long enough for the boy to fear he had angered him and that he would leave, but the stranger only chuckled a bit. "I will not leave yet, do not fear."

Jack blinked. _How had he known? Maybe that was the man's power as ice was his. Maybe he could read minds. No, that didn't make sense. If the man could read minds, he would have known his name before asking. 'Don't fear' he had said. Maybe that was it; maybe the man could read fears like the Night Shade he had heard the Vikings tell their children about or the Boogeyman the Burgess kids hid from._ "Are you the Boogeyman?" he asked tactlessly. He was a child after all.

Now it was the man's turn to blink, but he seemed to be a bit more surprised. "Very clever, child. How do you know of me?"

"I have heard people talk about a 'Boogeyman' that knows their fears and you knew what I was afraid of without me saying so," Jack explained proudly around his large smile. He'd never been complimented before.

"Well done, Jackson. Yes, some have created that name for me; though I prefer Pitch Black as that is the name I was given."

Nodding excitedly, the winter child could hardly restrain his desire to pelt the man with questions. With the barest of nods, the man accepted the silent request.

It was not a challenge to choose his first inquiry. "Why can no one see me?"

Pitch's black eyes narrowed slightly. "Did the Moon not explain this to you?"

Jack shook his head hard enough for his white hair to cast about his face. "He only told me my name and that was over 250 years ago. I keep trying to talk to him, but he doesn't answer me. Did I do something wrong?"

His insecurities were cropping up within his core despite his attempts to ward them off. Of course, it was pointless to try seeing as the man could read his fears as easily as he could lay frost on a window. Pitch probably knew of all of his fears by now.

Those eyes narrowed even more. "That was foolish of him." A feral grin fell upon his lips. "To leave you unknowing just makes it far easier for someone else to educate you, my dear Jackson."

His shoulders fell as his core lit up in fear. No doubt the man could sense it, but it didn't matter. Blue eyes only took a moment to look pleadingly into the dangerous gold depths before realizing what was happening. He made quick work of freezing Pitch's hand and breaking away.

Not without his heart breaking too.

He had heard stories of this man; how he was the embodiment of all of the fear and evil in the world, but he had hoped. It was this _hope_ that was going to get him into trouble and this _hope_ that was breaking with each moment of understanding. How that sliver of light had held on, he didn't know. What he did know was that it only took one man to shatter it completely.

The only being on the planet who can touch him, hear him, _see_ him wished him harm.

Always the eternal child, Jack couldn't understand why the world would be so cruel; even after all of the wrong he had witnessed.

It hurt.

No matter how much distance he placed between them, the pain remained the same.

He didn't even bother glancing up at the Moon. There was no point. It wasn't going to answer. Neither was anyone else.

On the other edge of the world, long ears fell as the Spirit of Hope grasped at his chest in pain.

Someone lost their light. Someone needed him.

But who?


	2. Defender

Distracting himself from the emptiness within him wasn't easy.

His dark thoughts now had a voice; a name. He could almost hear the shade's velvet tone highlighting his flaws, his deepest regrets and insecurities. _'Oh, Jackson,'_ it would purr, _'look at the mess you've made'_.

Snowball fight after snowball fight he instigated, but he couldn't forget the feeling of that warm hand wrapped around his cold wrist.

None of the human activities he had previously enjoyed watching could erase the memory of speaking to someone for the first time.

Even the adventures of his 'favorite three' failed to ease the loss he felt aching within him, but they had come the closest.

They had found each other as fate would have it. Something- Jack later found out through eves dropping that it was pure coincidence –brought them together and they became fast friends. Humans and their ability to create relationships so easily always pulled at the child's jealousy. What was he doing so wrong that, not only could he not make his own friends, but they couldn't even _see_ him to begin with?

Eyes clouding with envy, he watched from an overhanging tree branch while the three humans settled around a fire as night set in and traded tales of their trials. The Viking's dragon seemed restless throughout the conversation, but Jack paid him only half a mind in favor of listening to their retellings as if he hadn't been there to see them himself; he always loved to hear stories.

LINE

"-if not for him, I probably wouldn't have survived. Of course, he had to settle the score- 'only saving most of me' –but at least we're even now, right bud?" Hiccup chuckled good-naturedly as he nudged the large dragon's side. There wasn't much of an answer from the fidgeting Night Fury as his narrowed eyes searched their surroundings. "Toothless?"

The dragon gave a warble in response, not sure if his instincts were off or if there really was a threat hiding out in the shadows.

Rapunzel shuddered uncomfortably at the sudden chill in their air. "I think something might be wrong," she admitted nervously when her new friends looked confused.

Silence fell upon the small group as they cast glances around the clearing they had found. Come to think of it, it did feel as if they were being watched. A strange breath of air shifted the fire's shadows into monstrous shapes that sent the three humans to their feet and readying for a fight. Merida loaded an arrow into her now equip bow, Rapunzel lifted her frying pan in both hands as if to swing it, and Hiccup drew his sword from the sheath and ignited the blade with fire.

LINE

From just above the tense humans, their unknown protector- also sensing the impending danger –tightened his grip on the crooked staff at his side. Without so much as a blink, rose to crouch on the branch and whispered for the wind to be ready.

LINE

No more than a minute later, Toothless' gaze snapped to a particularly dense shadow and began to growl in warning. The group of humans followed his lead and pointed their weapons at the yet-to-be-revealed threat. Everything was still for several moments before a sinister chuckle filled the air. The shadow stepped forth.

LINE

The eternal child drew in a sharp breath at the figure's appearance.

No…

His nightmare had come to rid him of the only light he had left.

LINE

"Who're ye'?" Merida demanded, thick accent overlaying her unease at the sight of this man.

His skin was a sickly grey and all but blended into the black robe he wore that seemed to connect him to the shadows dancing behind his back. Murky, gold eyes revealed nothing more than the blank expression regarding the group before him. That is, of course, until a feral grin spread across his face, lifting his lips to show off pointed, yellowed teeth.

Rapunzel could not hold back her gasp at the fear this man was pulling from them. Surely he couldn't be human. " _What_ are you?"

Another chuckle oozed around the clearing. "That is a better question."

His voice sent chills through the group.

"Are ye' goin' ta answer er not?"

"Very well," the slimy voice relented, eyeing each of them closely, "My name is Pitch Black; the King of Nightmares." With his words, the shadows around the edges of the clearing began to take shape into vicious-looking horses. They began to crowd the trees, cutting off any and all escape routes. Toothless lowered himself to the ground threateningly as he caught sight of the beasts shifting about the treetops to prevent them from flying.

Hiccup shifted slightly, just enough to place his empty hand on the dragon's head in a vain attempt to steady him. "What do you want?"

A glint crossed the shade's eyes as he readied himself to answer, but his words were cut off before they began.

LINE

"Leave them alone."

The order came from above and, though he could not see Pitch's face, he knew the man was smirking.

Still no answer came, but this did nothing to deter the boy.

"I will not let you hurt them, Pitch."

"What can _you_ do to stop me?"

Jack flinched at the pure poison in his voice and the sharp intent underlying the question. No, the boy was not powerless, but how could he help? He was nothing more than a nuisance; a mistake unwanted by even the one who created him. ' _Oh, Jackson, you'll only make a mess of things._ ' The young sprite tried not to flinch.

"I will do anything."

It was not a lie. Jack would give his life protecting them. It only slightly surprised him that he was willing to go so far for a group of strangers, but something within him refused to let any harm come to them. Deep inside, Jack knew that these humans were meant for so much more than what they've already done. They would go on to do great things, even if their invisible guardian was lost before their journey truly began.

"Will you?"

LINE

Confused glances were passed back and forth between the teens as the grin fell into a smirk.

"What can _you_ do to stop me?"

First, the man toys with their nerves by hiding in the shadows, then he emerges to give them his name, only to begin talking to the air. This made no sense.

"Will you?"

Whatever conversation the man was having was not going well by the sound of it. Though, they could only hear his responses, whoever he was talking to was not winning.

Rapunzel blinked in confusion as her heart was pulled painfully as if it were a close friend being spoken to by this monster. Casting a quick look over to her companions, she found that they held the same expression she was sure shown on her own face. Something inside of her wanted nothing more than to get Pitch Black's attention off of…whatever it was he was talking to.

Merida, always the impatient, beat her to it. "Hey, we're over 'ere. Don' jus' expect us ta sit quietly after a threat like that!"

It worked well enough for the man's eyes to meet hers. There was no hiding the contempt in the man's golden gaze. "Has no one taught you that it's rude to interrupt?"

"Interrupt?" Rapunzel blurted out. "We're the only ones here." Even as she said it, the smile crossing those fearsome features ignited unease within her. Was she wrong?

Hiccup came to her rescue, "Who were you talking to?" he asked conversationally.

Pitch's dark eyes rose to a low-hanging branch just above the large clearing tauntingly, but he didn't say a word.

"Alright ah've had enough of this." She hadn't even been finished talking when the archer let off an arrow towards the sinister shade.

Much to their surprise, a long shadow burst out of the forest and caught the shot before it had crossed the fire hearth. Merida blinked in astonishment and lifted her green eyes to meet the amused gaze of the Nightmare King.

LINE

He was still fighting off the self-loathing brought on by their admission of not seeing him when Pitch's mirthful gaze lifted up to him. It did nothing to help him stave off the painful voice in his head. _'They can't see you; they'll never see you. You're invisible, Jackson, it's like you don't even exist.'_

The shot caught him off guard, pulling him out of the depression he was falling into. In the pregnant pause that followed the arrow, Jack could sense the pending attack crossing the expression on the shade's face just before they both jumped into motion.

Pitch's wave of sand didn't even make it past the edge of Jack's branch as he vaulted himself in front of it and shot a wall of ice as a shield. Carefully noting the placement of the humans behind him, winter's child angled a flurry of icy shards toward the shadow wielder in hopes of blinding him. It did not work as he had hoped, but had rather given the shade the time to snap his fingers, calling his hoard into the battle.

Before the humans could even gasp in surprise, Jack danced around his wall of ice and shifted it until it completely surrounded those he was protecting, dragon included though he hope the Night Fury didn't melt the shield before he could fight back. He was given no more time to worry as all of the nightmares sent after the humans were now converging onto him. Pitch only laughed as he watched the winter sprite defend himself again the never-ending torrent of horses that clawed and ripped at his ever-moving form.

Much to the shade's astonishment, however, the boy wasn't overtaken despite being completely swarmed. He gracefully dodge around each attack, ignoring those that landed, and sent off countless bursts of snow and ice strong enough to freeze his attackers giving him the time to shatter them until they were melting into the ground. Lifting slightly higher in the air, Jack continued to focus his abilities until he was in the middle of the horde.

With only a slight intake of breath to warn them, the child grasped his staff with both hands. A loud shout escaped his pale lips as shockwaves of ice tore out of his center decimating every nightmare for miles. Even Pitch was forced to fade into the shadows to protect himself from the pure power that radiated from the boy. Just as suddenly as it had begun, it ended as the last of the horses were shattered.

Jack breathlessly crumpled to the ground.

LINE

No one said a word.

The ice dome that surrounded them shattered with the last huge wave of ice that had taken out every shadow within the clearing.

Pitch was gone along with all of the horses that had almost torn them to shreds, but none of them had any idea how.

It was as if the weather had a mind of its own.

A winter wasteland greeted them as they stepped off of the lush, green grass that had been protected with them inside the dome. The temperature of the slightly breezy spring day had fallen drastically, but they didn't shiver; minds too clouded to notice they were cold.

Toothless did not follow their aimless wandering about the clearing to search for answers, but instead cautiously moved to the center of the desolate snow, sniffing at an oddly dented pile. A curious gust of wind moved over the group before it circled the dragon's pile of snow as if leading the teens to investigate.

They didn't argue.

"W-What is it, bud?" Hiccup asked when his dragon stopped him from taking another step towards the mound of snow they surrounded.

The Night Fury could only warble imploringly at his rider, not understanding that the humans could not see the unconscious sprite. Heedless to their confusion, Toothless began to nudge the snow.

To the teens' amazement, however, it wasn't the snow the dragon was touching, but something on top of it. They blinked in completed bewilderment as that something seemed to shift on its own; the disturbed snow being the only way they could tell.

"My mother told me of a legend, his name was Winter," Rapunzel remembered. "She told me how he could control snow and blizzards; that he was evil and enjoyed the horrors he brought with him, but it was ice that shattered the rope that mother tied me with when I got away."

"My da' always told me stories of Old Man Winter, but ah never believed 'im. He said tha' 'e hated everything, but ah saw frost in Mor'du's fur when fightin' 'im," Merida gasped.

Hiccup tilted his head slightly. "After the battle with the Red Death, Gobber told me they found shards of ice in my hair. He believed that Jokul Frosti was watching out for me that day. It didn't make sense to me because there are stories of him leading children into the forest to die, casting ships onto ice burgs, and freezing crops to starve villages."

As if in response to their epiphanies, Toothless grunted and shook his head violently as if trying to get something out of his nose. Trying to make the humans understand, he nudged the snow again and warbled sadly.

"If all of the legends and stories are true…"

The thought was cut off with a sharp gasp as the figure of a young boy began to appear before them. Short, messy hair the color of the purest snow lay atop a child-like face relaxed in sleep. He wore a strange-looking, brown cloak over a white, long-sleeve shirt, and brown, deer-skin pants ripped off just below his knees, tied with leather cords. His feet were bare though somehow not even slightly colored in response to the intense chill in the air.

Countless gashed and bruises marred the motionless boy and the obvious fact that his chest was still as stone worried the teens greatly. He lay, unresponsive in the large snow pile, his skin pale as if he was already dead. That notion was forgotten as the boy's fingers twitched before he shifted with a small groan, though he still didn't wake.

Hiccup finished Rapunzel's words with the wonderings of his own mind. "…why would he do so much to protect us? How can someone evil be that selfless?"

"Maybe 'e jus' had a grudge against Pitch." It was phrased as more of a question, but it remained unanswered.

A short time passed before the snow around them slowly began to melt with the slightly rising spring temperature and the falling sun's lights casting about the clearing. Again, the boy shifted uncomfortably; no doubt still sore from the fight.

"What do we do?" Rapunzel asked after a time of silence. "We can't leave him after all he's done for us."

"Nah, we have ta' do somthin'. If we leave 'im here Pitch might come back for 'im."

Hiccup nodded, "You're right. We have to help him at least until he wakes up."

Toothless didn't need telling twice as he curled around the unmoving child and laid down to rest.

The teens followed suit and remade the campfire that had gone out in all of the excitement with a little help from the dragon who had to be convinced to blow fire onto the stack, though he did wisely get up and shift the pile of wood further from the boy of ice.

It took some time, but eventually, the fire was able to warm them up a bit. As night began to set in, Hiccup took Toothless out to spend some energy as well as gather blankets and warmer clothes for their stay while the girls remained watchful over the small boy.

Once Hiccup returned and they donned themselves in what warmer clothes the Viking could find, they began the long wait for the sprite to wake up. It was no surprise that they ended up sprawled out around the fire as eyes grew heavy.

Morning came, the bright sun waking the teens instantly, but they were worried to see the strange boy still passed out. After Hiccup and Toothless retrieved breakfast, they settled in for another day of waiting.

They banked his age at about 10 going by his size and appearance. It shocked them slightly to consider him so much younger in comparison as they had discussed their own ages earlier; Hiccup being almost 18, Rapunzel having just turned, and 16 Merida being 15. Of course, they had no doubt he was older than he looked. He had to be to contain as much power as he had shown in the fight with Pitch. Though it made them slightly weary as they had all been raised on stories depicting this very spirit as being as cold and cruel as the ice he created.

The conversation had inevitably branched off into the many other legends they had been told. Each one, of course, had been told differently in association with the ranging cultures they had originated from. Their comparisons went fairly late into the day when it was cut off by the sound of the boy beginning to wake.


	3. Meeting

He was pleasantly cold.

The soft frost beneath him brought a calm smile to his face as he burrowed into sleep's hold once more.

Just about to slip back into the welcoming darkness, he all but flinched when he heard a snort of air near him. That was strange as he never bothered being near anything living as nothing could see him and the reminder only brought on depression. Before the dark thoughts could rise, he distracted himself by trying to remember where he was and how he had gotten there.

It all came back in a blur of confusing images involving his 'favorite three' and Pitch. Even the thought of the shade made him shudder as it reminded him of the horrible voice that the man created within his mind. Pride welled up in his core at the bravery he was able to put forth when going up again the torrent of enemies, but nothing could stop the lingering fear of the man in control of them.

Sleep was trying to pull at him again due to his overuse of power in the fight against nightmares, but the memory only brought him closer to reality in fear of his current standing. Had he won? Did the humans get away? Was everyone alright? If nothing else, it was the barrage of questions that finally motivated him to force open his bleary eyes to find the answers.

"He's awake!" a high pitched voice announced loudly from her place beside Jack's head.

He flinched at the noise causing the girl to mutter an embarrassed apology.

Blinking to clear the fog from his vision, Jack slowly sat himself up and rubbed a hand through his messy hair. Why did he have such a headache?

Another voice, deeper than the first spoke next, but the significance still hadn't hit home with the confused sprite. "Are you alright?"

Was he okay? He just went head to head against Pitch. How was he even alive?

"Ay! Are ye' deaf?"

No, but they should be when it came to anything about him.

Realization dropped on him like a stone. Wide, blue eyes snapped into focus from their previous search of his surroundings. What he saw would have made his heart stop if it beat. Time froze and his breath quickened enough that it was beginning to cloud as it escaped his mouth.

They were surrounding him; crowding him in too closely. There was no air to breath and he began to panic. He could hear himself gasping, but it was as if the air never made it to his starving lungs. Their eyes were trained solely on him; on his every move and the burning gazes were almost painful. Ice began to form around him as if attempting to cool the fiery heat.

"Hey, calm down!" the Viking cried, kneeling beside him and placing what was supposed to be a steadying hand on the boy's back, but it was far from calming to the always-invisible child.

He flinched away from the searing touch, using the momentum to snatch up his staff that had been lying beside him and vaulted to his feet to face…the humans? His powers continued to circle him, though wind joined the humans in their work of easing the boy's nerves. Now he was even more confused. How were they able to see him? They obviously could by the way their eyes had followed his movement, but humans couldn't see him; no one could.

 _Don't forget about Pitch, dear Jackson, he will always see you_ , his cruel thoughts reminded, but he pushed them away long enough to calm his breathing and steady what would have been a racing pulse. The crackling ice around him melted away into frosty puddles on the ground, quickly soaked up by earth. Panic attack avoided; mostly.

Still, the humans stood before him, casting cautious glances at one another in response to the strange actions of their supposed protector.

"Are you alright?" the princess asked curiously.

She has a name. She has a name. What is her name? Jack repeated the mantra in his still groggy head as he answered in as normal a voice as he could manage seeing as he was _talking_ _to humans_.

"I'm fine." He cursed his voice for sounding so rough, but there was only so much he could do; it had been at least 2 years since he had last spoken aside from his brief conversation with Pitch. It was a surprise he could speak at all.

The red-head narrowed her bright green gaze, "Are ye' sure? Ye' near had a fit there."

Why was he suddenly so bad at names?!

"I'm fine," he repeated; voice slightly clearer with the increasing use. "I just didn't expect to wake up surrounded."

"Sorry about that," Hiccup- the Viking as Jack somewhat easily recalled -admitted after a nod of understanding, "We were a bit worried you wouldn't wake up. What's your name?"

The eternal child fought the lump in his throat reminding him that, though he had watched them for years, they didn't know him. He cleared his throat in hopes of not sounding like he was struggling not to fly away and forget this ever happened.

"Jack Frost, the Spirit of Winter at your service," he proclaimed with an overdramatic bow. It was all he could do to hide his fraying emotions from them. "Bet you've never met anyone like me before!"

"Well, you're not wrong," Rapunzel admitted with a smile. "Are there more like you?"

"Nope! I'm the one and only." The sadness implied in those words was almost impossible to catch if not for the dimming of the boy's blue eyes. He hid his emotions far too well aside from that expressive gaze. When there was no response, the immaturity held within the child-like sprite began to show itself through impatient shifting before the boy sighed. They all gasped as he flipped himself to perch weightlessly on the top crook of the wooden staff he held so tightly before playing with a few snowflakes that he created. "You guys don't talk as much as you use to. Where's all that curiosity?"

It was a strange observation and Merida found she couldn't overlook it. "What's tha' supposed ta' mean?"

Jack laughed brightly, but again, his eyes gave away the depression heavy in his words. "This is the first time you guys have seen me, but I've stood in front of you for years. You never knew it, but I was there for all of your adventures!"

"The whole thing?"

The child nodded towards Hiccup, though he had long since gone back to idly twirling his creations around deft fingers. "Yup."

Rapunzel chuckled a bit at the awkward silence. "So…'Jack Frost'. It seems we all had it wrong." She continued when the boy tilted his head in confusion. "After you beat Pitch-" no one missed the frozen child's shiver at the shade's name "-we were trying to figure out who would protect us like that with the ability to control ice. I guessed it was Winter; the being who saved me from my mother a few years ago."

"Ay thought it might've been Old Man Winter seeing as 'e helped me 'n ma' fight a demon bear," Merida offered while curling her fingers around her cheeks as if pretending she had fangs.

"Jokul Frosti protected Toothless and I from being burned alive a few years ago. I thought you might be him." Hiccup gestured to the mentioned dragon who seemed more intrigued with the snowflakes Jack was creating for him to chase than the conversation.

This time, of course, it was the winter child's turn to laugh and laugh he did until he was all but rolling on the ground, unable to hold his balance on his staff, with the force of happiness that chased away his doubts and sadness.

"W'at's so funny?" Merida demanded.

Staving off more giggles, Jack gasped for his words. "You all look so serious. How many versions of me are there? Surely someone would believe in one of them enough to see me, but here you all are, filled with stories, belief, and wrong names." He burst into another string of crippling laughter, delicate layers of frost spiraling around his feet.

That is, until Rapunzel burst his bubble.

"That couldn't be you. Winter has been around for hundreds of years and you're so young. You couldn't have helped me because at that point you would have been even younger than you are now."

"Of course it was me. How old do you think I am?" Jack asked with a hint of indignation in his voice.

"Uhm…"

Hiccup saved the burnet from having to answer by doing so himself. "We guessed 10."

The boy's mouth dropped. "Aww, 10?! Common!"

"Well, how old are ye' then?"

Here Jack had to pause for a bit. "Uhh…"

Rapunzel raised a brow. "You're not sure?"

"Well, I...not really, I think, basing it off of humans who seem my age, I'm 12…maybe, but I'm definitely not 10! Plus, I've kept track since waking up! It's been 253 years!" His chest puffed out proudly.

Merida could only blink "Wait…Ah'm lost."

Opening his mouth to explain, a sudden weariness overcame the frozen boy to the point that he soon found himself sitting on the ground. Concerned for the sudden loss of energy that previously surrounded the child, the other teens were by his sides in an instant; kneeling at his level.

His chuckle sounded like the patter of snowflakes on a window. "I'm okay, just a little worn out from that fight. It took a lot of power to create that storm and I've never needed to do something like that before. If you want, I can share my story with you guys since I already know yours'."

It only took a moment for them to agree and settles comfortably around the frost child. Toothless curled himself around the frost sprite though left his tail resting in Hiccup's lap.

"Darkness. That's the first thing I remember. It was dark. It was cold. And I was scared. Then I saw the Moon. It was so big and it was so bright and it seemed to chase the darkness away. And when it did, I wasn't scared anymore. Why I was there and what I was meant to do, that I've never known. And a part of me wonders if I ever will." Jack paused. This was a lot harder than he had expected. "My name is Jack Frost. How do I know that? The Moon told me so, but that was all he ever told me. And that was a long, long time ago."

"I wasn't even a few hours old when I found out that no one could see me. I ran in to a village and…it was so painful when they walked through me. Still, I tried to find someone- anyone –to hear me; _see_ me, but I've been alone. For over 200 years I searched and was disappointed at each turn, but then I saw you guys. I helped when I could and watched you face your demons and go on your adventures and I was jealous." He sighed forlornly, expression sinking to the level of his saddened voice. "The first person to speak to me since the Moon was Pitch Black. I was so happy I almost let myself get taken away. Realizing he wanted to hurt me was more painful than anything else he could have done. For the first time ever I could talk to someone who could hear me and be touched and be _seen_. Of course, it's my rotten luck that he was a bad guy."

Light burst into his blue eyes, causing them to catch the light of the moon and shine. "But now, you three- four with Toothless –can see me! I don't have to be alone anymore!"

The teens were completely taken aback by the mood change.

He looked no older than 10 and yet had lived centuries alone with no idea why or how to fix it.

"So what lead you to us?" Hiccup asked softly.

Jack shrugged. "I've traveled all over the world and seen almost every type of adventure out there, but something held me to you guys. I thought, at first, that it was coincidence. We were all near the same age at that point, but then you guys grew up without me. I can only assume it was because I saw a piece of me in you; outcast for something I had no power over, forced into a roll I never asked for, and trapped in a life I couldn't escape. Sound familiar? The only difference is that you guys were able to overcome it in a way I never can."

Each teen twitched uncomfortably at the simplified definition of their trials, but the boy's admission of being powerless made them feel all the worse.

"Don't be so down! You said so yourself: 'now you have us'!" Rapunzel offered as cheerfully as she could. "Maybe we can help! Maybe that's why you were lead to us; because we can help you find your purpose!"

Merida caught on the excitement, understanding what she was trying to do. "Lassie's right, we can help! If ah can fight a bear, ah can getcha seen!"

"If nothing else, we can keep you company until you find it yourself." Hiccup stated reassuringly. "We can see you, after all."

The eternal child smiled brightly, but the spark of hope they were trying to ignite within Jack's eyes remained empty. They couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since he felt anything other than despair. Darkness seemed far too comfortable in that blue gaze.


	4. Curious

The remainder of the evening was spent talking or rather Jack telling of his travels with the enraptured humans listening in.

"So how many languages can you speak?" Hiccup asked.

Jack paused for a moment of thought before scowling to himself and counting on pale fingers. "Uhm…more than 10? I keep losing count. Languages keep dying out and new ones take their place. It would be a lot easier if they just stayed put," he pouted.

Rapunzel and Merida got a chuckle out of his child-like expression, but didn't comment on it in favor of kindling the happiness their new friend showed when beginning his many tales.

"As interesting as your story is, Jack, I think Toothless is getting hungry." Sure enough, just after the Viking's announcement, the dragon's stomach growled loudly.

The frostling burst into a genuine laugh that shook his shoulders. It was quickly passed around the group until all of them were holding their stomachs in breathless pain. After a few moments, though, it tapered out and left them panting for air as occasional chuckles escaped.

It was quite a relief to the teens to see that spark of pure joy stay rooted within his still teary eyes.

"If you want, I can go get you guys something," Jack offered excitedly once he could catch his breath. "I know of a great place to get some food." He thought for a moment. "Actually, if I remember right, there should be an empty shack nearby. You guys can hole up there while I run out and restock your supplies!" As he spoke, he lightly jogged through the forest with the teens following his lead.

Sure enough, within a few minutes, they came upon a rickety, old barn that looked- if nothing else –like it could accommodate them for the night. Jack flew around it a couple of times and even inside using broken windows and the absent door. It must have been to his liking as he rejoined the group with a bright smile. "So you guys can stay here while I gather some things!"

A look was passed around the humans before Merida nodded. "Tha' sounds good, Frosty, but we should tag along with ya in case o' trouble. Don' want ya left on yer lonesome."

Shrugging with another smile at the nickname, winter's child twirled his trusty staff while answering. "Well, I can only carry one person. I don't really feel like falling out of the sky; definitely not fun."

Filing the last comment under the growing list of 'What to ask Jack about later', the teens began to discuss who should be where and with whom. Despite the quick agreement that Rapunzel should be the one to accompany the boy due to her size, Jack became bored and began laying ice around the clearing. He skated gracefully without so much as a hint of concentration on his face as he wove between the trees with the ever-hyper dragon sliding after. It was quiet, but the humans swore they could hear the boy hum distractedly.

"Ready to go, Jack?" the princess asked politely.

The sprite nodded excitedly, gliding his way back to them and reaching a hand out towards his new flying partner. She took it without hesitation, but nothing could stay the slight drop in her stomach when the boy lifted them off the ground, wind circling them with a hint of anticipation. "Hold on, Punzie," Jack warned mischievously.

That was the only warning she received before wind swept them away. Rapunzel, having never flown before, tightened her grasp on the sprite's arm in a wave of momentary fear, but it quickly faded away as laughter bubbled up within her throat. While she just met the boy, she trusted Jack enough to forget her worries and let fun take her over. It wasn't hard to do after she rid herself of nerves. Jack made sure to do several twists and turns while keeping fairly close to the ground in case of an emergency. After the third loop-di-loop, he calmed his flight so he would not run out of energy too quickly.

Falling into a peaceful silence, the frostling couldn't resist the smile that overcame his expression. Silence was always the invitation to dark thoughts and depressing realizations, but this was nothing like that. It was relaxing and even though they weren't talking to each other, the mere presence of the other was companionable. Jack marveled about this as a large city came into view.

"Land ho!" he giggled childishly as Rapunzel laughed alongside. "Where do you want to go?"

There was only a moment of consideration before she answered. "Food first and then we should find some bedding. That floor looked uncomfortable."

Nodding in agreement, Jack whooped while mentally asking wind to find them food. The breeze complied, of course, and began returning with different smells, leading them to the darkened alley of a nearby hut.

Gracefully, they landed beside a large trash barrel and before the princess had time to ask why, the young sprite arched his staff upwards with a flourishing spin, encouraging a flurry of snow to blow the lid off. The boy wasted no time before he hooked the crook of his staff onto his shoulder and heaved himself onto the edge to peer inside.

"Wow," he breathed excitedly. "Look at all this, Punzie! There's a whole meal in here; definitely enough for all of us and then some!" He pulled his lithe form over the top and leaned further into without falling while his companion looked on in astonishment.

Mistaking her expression for surprise over their lucky find, Jack laughed brightly and began to shuffle the trash around to get at a surprisingly-hole-free bag. As soon as he had it in his hands, he filled it with anything and everything in reach, even calling forth the wind to help slide some items closer.

Rapunzel couldn't believe her eyes. Why was Jack digging in the trash; and why was he so excited about it? Surely he didn't really mean to eat garbage. There was no way. Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud gasp from the boy in question as he delicately held up what appeared to be an entire loaf of burnt bread. She couldn't stand to watch any longer as her suspicions were confirmed by the boy tearing a small bit off and reverently bring it to his pale lips.

"Stop!"

The sudden burst of sound startled the eternal child enough that he dropped the loaf onto the ground. Wide, blue eyes stared at the brunet for a moment and she could swear there was a hint of fear in that gaze before it fell to the bread. Just as he began to stoop down and retrieve his lost treasure, the princess stopped him with the gentle hand to his shoulder. She did not miss his flinch at the contact.

Careful to keep her words soft, Rapunzel continued as well as she could. "Jack, what are you doing?" Everything inside of her hoped it was a joke and that the young boy would soon dissolve into laughter at her reaction, but that hope was cast away by the confusion marring his pale features.

"I'm gathering food to take back to Hiccup and Merida like we said we were going to…" he explained slowly as if it was she who was acting strange.

"No," She almost didn't know how to go one without hurting his feelings. "I mean: why are you looking in the garbage?" His expression was completely lost, so she continued. "No one eats trash, Jack. Have you ever eaten before?"

"Of course I have," he said with a quirked brow.

"Then why are you looking here and not…" Realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

Jack's confusion faded into resignation. "Yeah, not a whole lot of alternatives. No one can see me so I can't go anywhere else. Even if they could, I have no money to buy anything and I don't want to steal."

There was a pregnant pause as the princess fought to find something to say. No amount of words would do anything to comfort the young boy nor would they help him in any way. All she had left was to do what she could for him in the time they had together. Forcing a convincing smile on her face, she held out her hand welcomingly.

"I have money with me so we can get something from a store instead, sound good?"

He blinked for a moment before limitless excitement overcame his features as he tossed the bag of trash back into the bin before taking her hand and allowing her to pull him into a small market she had seen on their flight in.

"I've never been in a store!" Jack was saying, his voice portraying the child in his eyes. "I can't wait to try something that hasn't been in the trash first!"

Honesty poured out of his words and it broke the girl's heart, but she smiled past it in favor of entering the doors. Jack remained quiet, though he bounced on his toes with boundless energy. Rapunzel fought back tears as she realized he was making it easier for her not to speak to him and draw unwanted attention to herself.

How lonely his life must be.

It only took a few minutes for her to gather all the food and blankets they could possibly need, pay with one of the many large pouches of coins she had with her, and exit the store juggling the multiple bags. Before she could get too much farther and hand half the load to her silent companion, an unfamiliar male voice called out from behind causing her to turn back out of curiosity. Sure enough, it was directed at her. A boy, looking a few years older than her, was jogging to catch up; she stayed still as he came closer.

By Jack's expression and the tightening grip on his staff, he was put on edge by this stranger.

"Hey, I noticed you were having trouble with those bags. You should let me help." It was clear he wasn't really asking her, but she politely declined anyway.

"Thank you for the offer, but my friend is close by."

The expression on his face darkened slightly as the invisible sprite harshened his glare. "Then let me walk you there. It can be dangerous this time of night."

By this point, Rapunzel could tell this boy was not here out of the goodness of his heart, but rather to get her away from the store with him in tow. "Sorry," she attempted, hoping he would leave before Jack acted on the spark of anger in his eye. "I've already come this far, I'm sure I'll make it just fine on my own."

"Fine," the stranger all but mumbled.

Thinking she had won the small argument, the princess turned to continue on her merry way when she felt a strong grip attach itself to her shoulder. She didn't even have time to stop before Jack apparently had enough. By the time she faced the two boys, the stranger had been knocked back by a strong gust of wind and frozen to the ground where he lay trembling. The complete confusion was all too obvious on the stranger's face, but Jack's expression only held the upmost contempt as his jaw was set and his staff was raised in one steady hand, still glowing from conjuring the ice.

All semblance of childhood innocence had vanished leaving behind shadowed eyes so full of dangerous intent they seemed to glow with hatred; a thread of black interrupting the endless blue. The sight made Rapunzel shiver. Even the stranger appeared able to sense the threat nearby as he struggled frantically to get out of the merciless ice that began to slowly thicken. To the princess' dismay, watching the human brought an eerie smirk to the eternal boy's face; the countless years of witnessing horrors were visible in the child's darkened, blue/black eyes.

It took more courage than it should, but the brunet soon gathered enough bravery to place the lightest of touches onto Jack's shoulder. As expected, he flinched, but it was now paired with a violent swing of his staff that was stopped just short of her side. Gaze brightening in realization, the age within those endless blue orbs decreased rapidly, bringing back the pure innocence only a child could possess. Jack shrunk in on himself, hugging his staff close and losing his concentration on the ice trapping the human boy though neither bothered to watch him run screaming.

"Look at the mess you've made, Jackson. Look at her face; there's fear in her eyes. She is afraid of you. She will leave you as alone as you have been all these years; as you'll always be. You're too dangerous. You're a monster"

"I…I'm…not…I don't…I…" he trailed off miserably, continuing once his frantic thoughts were a bit more clear, though the guilt and fear were all-too-obvious layering his small voice as his eyes were cast down. "Please don't be afraid." The plea was nothing more than a whisper, but that did nothing to distract from the pain hidden behind the words. "I...I didn't mean to. 'm sorry." Jack began to take steps away from her as if about to run away. "Please don't hate me."

Her heart broke at the despair winter's child was letting show; he looked so vulnerable- nothing like the terrifying force of nature he had been only moments ago. Despite his previous assurance that those centuries alone did not affect him, the still-open wounds were all too obvious. Much to her dismay, however, no amount of her power can heal him. All she can do now is comfort him and that is exactly what she did as she wrapped her arms around the small form. He flinched as if he was anticipating an attack, but he did nothing to stop her should she take a swing.

Surprise and utter relief sank into his core the moment he realized she had no ill intentions. It took a few breaths of hesitation before he dropped his staff completely and melted into the princess' arms in the embrace he had unknowingly waited endless years to receive. Circling her abdomen with his cold, boney arms made her shiver, but this only caused her to hold him closer. He was unwilling to break the contact even after several minutes had passed, though she seemed just as reluctant to let go. Nevertheless, it could not last forever and they finally parted only a short step away.

Pulling himself back together, thankful that he resisted the almost overwhelming urge to cry, Jack impressively used a quick flick of his foot to toss his staff into the air where he caught it. Rapunzel laughed at his antics while brushing her own tears away from her still-glossy eyes.

"Are you ready to go?" the boy asked softly once she cleared her face of any signs of sadness, though her redeyes couldn't be helped.

Nodding, the brunet ran a hand through her hair to straighten it after the intense gust of wind Jack called swept around them. It was only a quick afterthought that reminded them to grab the bags that had dropped to the ground during the encounter with the stranger. They laughed about their oversight for the entire flight and even a bit afterwards.

Their giggling alerted the other teens to their presence. Hiccup raised a brow at them as Merida begged to know what was so funny which only made the two youngest laugh all the more. Eventually, they were able to choke out what happened bringing the Viking to roll his eyes and chuckle along with the rest of the howling teens while Toothless looked on in complete confusion.

Jack couldn't remember the last time he had laughed; let alone this much- it almost hurt. Have you ever laughed, Jackson? Why would you when there was no one to laugh with; no one to hear you? The voice threatened to sober him, but he fought the dark thoughts away in favor of trying to breathe past the remaining chuckles.

Rapunzel was overjoyed at seeing her new friend loosen up so much, but she didn't missed the brief, black haze that shadowed his eyes for such a quick moment. Smile fading, she glanced at Merida and found her trying to swallow her giggling and then at Hiccup who met her eye with the same expression of confusion before his gaze returned to Jack. He must have seen the shadow too.

Strange, Hiccup considered after realizing what he saw wasn't just in his head, it reminded him slightly of Pitch, but that didn't make any sense. He soon decided that worrying about it now would only lead him to ridiculous conclusions so he would just have to keep an eye on the boy. A mental note quickly passed to ask Rapunzel to do the same as she seemed a bit more intuitive than Merida, though he figured he might as well get as many in on this as he could; no sense in leaving the last of them in the dark.

Night fell quickly after they ate, set up blankets, started a small fire (asking for the help of a dragon, of course), and continued their conversations. They settled quickly and efficiently, having enough supplies to comfort all of them and then some. Jack lay farthest from the fire atop the blankets offered him while the two girls curled up within their fluffy piles of warmth close enough to the heat of the fire, but far enough away to keep their new friend in reaching distance. Hiccup was wrapped in a dragon wing and settled into his friend's side.

Winter's child fought sleep once the others had drifted into the welcoming darkness. He was far too proud to admit it aloud, but he feared that if he went to sleep, he would wake to find everything a dream; that he would wake alone. That, and the promise of nightmares had always haunted him when he slept. Eventually, however, even he couldn't resist the pull of the dreary oblivion

It had been an exhausting day.


	5. Dreaming

The night air was peaceful, calming, and even the wind fluttered gently to keep the tranquility from breaking.

Four teens slept soundly within the comforting environment, though their fire had gone out a while ago. It didn't bother them as they were so buried in their mounds of quilts, blankets, and coverings that the cold the youngest of them was producing didn't faze them in the slightest.

Jack- still asleep -shifted suddenly, disrupting the relaxing pull of the earth. A quiet gasp interrupted the wind in her dance and called upon a hesitant worry. Several attempts to wake the obviously distressed child were proven vain so wind began the daunting take of rousing one of the humans. Perhaps they could wake her companion from his nightmare.

Hiccup was attacked first, a huge gust of wind forcing Toothless to startle to a stand and leave the teen to tumble to the hard ground. After far too long- in wind's opinion –the Viking's eyes burst open to reveal hazy, confused orbs that searched his surroundings for a moment, trying to figure out what had woken him. Another burst of cold air snapped him into focus as Jack's whimpers were carried along the breeze.

Leaping into action, Toothless rushed towards the sprite while Hiccup made quick work of waking the girls and sliding to his knees beside the now-thrashing child. It took a few moments before Rapunzel was able to drag herself and Merida over to them, but Hiccup had long before begun to shake Jack awake by his thin shoulders. Much to their surprise, it didn't work.

Licking (Toothless), yelling (Rapunzel), slapping (Merida), and more shaking (Hiccup) followed, but the boy was still asleep. They all shared a frantic look, hoping that maybe one of the others would have an idea and yet Jack remained trapped in his nightmare.

* * *

 _It hadn't started out bad; just a little…off._

 _He had been instigating a snowball fight with a group of children unable to see him. Of course, this didn't put too much of a damper on his fun as he darted between their ever-moving bodies and created more ammunition for them to use. He even tossed a few of his own._

 _The game continued until he heard a young girl scream from nearby. In an instant, he was moving towards the sound; pictures of a child in trouble hurrying his soundless steps. When he found the source of the noise, his breath stopped._

 _A young girl, no more than 8, was balancing dangerously on a thin sheet of ice that covered the lake he called home. Ice-skates donned her quivering feet as she cried out again in fear. The more she shook, the more the ice cracked, causing her to shake even harder; it was a vicious cycle that would only end in her death if he didn't do something to save her._

 _Ideas flowed through his mind. He couldn't freeze the ice or her feet would get stuck in the water that was already pooling around her skates. If he tried to pull her off the ice himself, he would only pass through her as he couldn't be touched. His last bet was to grant her a way to save herself. This option was cleared as his darting eyes landed on his staff laying innocently in the center of the pond, just beyond the girl's reach. If he could get her his staff, she could lay it sideways and at least keep on the surface of the ice until he could get help._

 _Deep within his mind, he realized he should be confused as to why he didn't have his trusty staff with him as he had only moments ago, but his thoughts were too focused on the task at hand and the dwindling time he had to save her._

 _As terrible as the situation was, he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of deja-vu at the sight. Pushing passed the feeling he unfroze his motionless feet from the ground and joined the girl on the ice knowing his weight would not affect the reflective surface any more than it did the snow he trekked without footprint. He was soon standing firmly before her, hoping for everything he was that she could just see him. Much to his dismay, she couldn't._

 _Regardless of his invisibility, he spoke as if she could hear his reassuring voice trying to cheer her up._

" _I know you're scared, but you're gonna be alright. You're not gonna fall in." As if in response to his words, the girl's breathing seemed to calm ever so slightly, so he continued, forced excitement gleaming through his words. "We're gonna have a little fun instead! Trust me! Would I trick you?"_

" _You always play tricks."_

 _He stopped. She answered. Her voice was quiet, like she was talking to herself, but it was far too close to a response for him to let it pass. Light burst into his core at the thought of being heard; of being_ seen _, however, he curbed his elation. Now was not the time to be distracted._

" _Well, not…not this time. I promise. I promise, you're gonna be...you're gonna be fine," he paused, almost not even wanting to continue. "You have to believe in me."_

 _As the words cross his lips, he instantly regrets them. Of course she's not going to believe; she can't even see him. He needed to focus, getting the staff and guiding towards her. Much to his bafflement, however, the young girl slowly looks up until her fear-filed, brown eyes are level with his own blue orbs._

 _She heard him. She_ sees _him._

 _Time slows; stops even as he waits for her to speak, nod, breathe, anything to show that she trusted him to help._

 _With just two words, his world shattered around him like glass._

" _I don't." Her voice was as cold and clear as the message those two sounds gave, but that didn't stop him from trying._

" _Please, let me help you," he pleaded through the tears pooling in his eyes. He tried yet again to hand her the staff, but she wouldn't take it_

 _She shook her head, only then did he realize her feet weren't shaking anymore. "I don't believe in you. You can't save me. You can't save anyone. You make a mess wherever you go." Each word seared into his core like a brand, snuffing out the light that her acknowledgment had brought to him, yet she continued. "No one sees you. Who would even want to? Your powers kill people. You're the reason no one likes the winter."_

 _The ice under her began to crack ominously through her accusations and he pushed passed the pain to rush closer to her. Even this cruel taunting couldn't keep him from caring for a child. He had only closed half the distance when the young girl was sucked under the clear surface with earth shattering last words._

" _This is your fault."_

 _He landed heavily on the re-frozen ice, left to peer in at the floating shape of the disappearing girl whose large, brown eyes never closed. Instead, they were left staring accusingly up at him, her would-be savior._

 _His breathing picked up to dangerous levels of gasping pants, he shoved himself away from the sight onto his backend before he continued to push himself farther across the pond, but with each movement, the surface grew longer. It was as if he wasn't moving at all as he looked down to see the girl's haunting face once again._

 _A scream tore its way out of his throat quickly silenced by a long, black shadow rising up from the dark depths beneath the falling child. Unable to move from shock, he could only watch as it wrapped itself around his wrist in a painful grip. More followed its example and seen he was left struggling with darkness circling both ankles and his one wrist._

 _Pulling at the tendrils with his free hand, he could do nothing to stop the shadows from pressing him harder into the cracking ice. The moment the glass broke, the darkness wasted no time in dragging its prey down towards the girl who was reaching up to him with a deranged smile. He pulled and thrashed, and fought with all he had, but he all-too-soon was running out of air and strength._

 _Casting one last look back at the fading surface, he tried to free his hand so he could thrust it towards the moon's glowing light as if searching for help that he knew deep down wouldn't come. Pain came along with gasping breaths only collecting frigid water in his starving, burning lungs. A cacophony of overbearing noise pounded in his ears sounding like a fading heartbeat and screams calling his name, but that was impossible on both accounts._

 _His heart didn't beat; he was dead._

 _And no one would call his name; he didn't exist._

 _The last of his strength faded along with the ever disintegrating spark of hope he had held so close._

 _Darkness took him._

* * *

He woke gasping for air and shooting up off the ground.

Holding his staff to his chest like a security blanket, he stumbled away from the confused figures that had him surrounded.

Breaths came too quickly filling his lungs so unevenly that left him coughing violently and falling to his knees in weakness. His staff fell with him though he no longer had the strength to reach out for its calming presence.

As of sensing his need for the relic, Rapunzel was quick to push it closer to the child who snatched it away from her as if afraid she would take it from him.

Nothing was said for some time. The barn remained silent save for Jack's shivering pants and the occasional sweep of wind passing as if she was checking on her cold companion. Eventually, the quiet became too overbearing for the eternal child's patience and he let out a breathy chuckle.

"Good morning," he greeted as if nothing had happened. "I didn't take you lot for being early risers."

Taking a page from the boy's book, Merida seemed to have no problem dancing around the subject no one wanted to begin. "Tha's because 'm not. Should be ah rule against gettin' up before the sun." She stood up and stretched her arms above her head before mumbling something about going back to sleep. In a few short minutes, she had curled back into her bundle and filled the chilly air with even snoring.

Normally, the red-head's antics would have brought at least a chuckle, but neither human could even spare a smile. Jack, picking up on their emotions, found himself unable to resist shifting uncomfortably under their intense gazes.

Rubbing a nervous hand across the back of his neck, winter's child cleared his throat loudly. "I think I'm going to go for a quick flight. I'll be back soon." His voice was unsure and awkward, but his new friends didn't stop him from calling the wind and disappearing into the darkness beyond the absent door, though Toothless did follow the boy into the clearing and settled in the grass to await his return.

Left to sit in the silence, Rapunzel was the first to break it, though her voice was soft in respect for their serene surroundings. "Was that…a nightmare?"

Hiccup nodded, still staring after Jack. "Yeah, it had to of been," he paused for a while in thought. "Though, I've never seen one so violent before." The memory of Jack's thrashing and screaming form was still fresh in his mind.

"What could it have been about to make him react like that?" the princess wondered absently.

"I almost don't want to know…"

She shivered, the air around them seeming to decrease despite the winter sprite's absence. A thought then crossed her mind; one that had been bothering her for some time. "Hiccup?" she began uncertainly, "Last night, when we returned…did you see…and just then when he first opened his eyes…" The girl trailed off as she found no words to describe what she had witnessed.

Hiccup, however, didn't need any more prompting than that. "It was like there was a shadow in his eyes. I can't begin to wonder what it was, but I'm almost positive it has something to do with the Nightmare King."

"He looked so sad," Rapunzel added softly. There was a moment of pause between them before she continued. "When we were leaving the village with our supplies, a boy approached us. I thought nothing of it until he became aggressive, but Jack's expression made it seem like he could sense the danger. He stopped the boy by knocking him to the ground and freezing him there before he could do any harm. Some kind of darkness clouded Jack's eyes…he smiled…like he was happy to be hurting the boy. I stopped him from going any further and when he snapped out of whatever had taken him, he looked at me like…I've never seen a more frightened child. It was as if Jack believed I would hate him…or attack. That same shadow crossed his eyes as he begged for forgiveness; for understanding. I didn't hesitate to reassure him that there was nothing to forgive, but he didn't seem to hear me until I hugged him. After that, he changed like night and day; one minute broken, the next as lighthearted as ever."

A crease formed on the Viking's brow as he considered the possibilities regarding their new friend, but nothing came to mind. "I don't understand," he finally admitted, "I can imagine that his solitude make him a bit distrusting and cautious as would his meeting with Pitch before anyone else. His ability to switch moods could be connected to the fact that he's still young at heart and attacking a threat just proves that he's protective. He's lived through wars and more than likely seen the worst humanity has to offer, but can still- somehow –see light in the world which is more than almost anyone else could accomplish. What I can't wrap my mind around are these shadows." Hiccup stood and began to pace the room, the gears in his mind running furiously as his boots made soft thuds with each step. "From the way they interacted, I can assume Pitch and Jack had some kind of history, but that was explained as just a brief meeting. I can't help but feel that, while this really was the second time they met, there's something else between them that even Jack is unaware of. Then again, with Jack's ability to hide his emotions so well, one can only guess."

"Pitch was able to get Jack to give in with so few words, but he doesn't seem to be the type to quit so easily," Rapunzel mused, recalling the one-sided conversation they heard from the shade earlier and following her pacing friend with bright eyes. "What if Jack doesn't know it's Pitch? I think he's afraid of himself…or at least something he tries not to think about. If Pitch can remind him of whatever it is, or amplify it even, Jack might be even more afraid to face him."

"That's…a good point," Hiccup blinked, "Legend states the Nightmare King has the ability to read people's fears and use them to create nightmares, but if what you say it right..."

"Then Jack could be in a lot more trouble than we thought." The statement came from behind them, causing them both to spin around to face Merida who was now sitting up in her bed, arms around her raised knees, and wide awake.

Before anything else could be said, a strange chill permeated the air around them. The darkness began to shift within the corners of the barn, drawing the humans closer together until they were standing in a circle with their backs together. None of them had weapons as they were still sheathed in their blankets that were now covered with the murky shadows. Continuing to converge on the defenseless teens, the unseen enemy chuckled at the fear he could feel rolling off of them, but he soon found his fun cut short when a bright, blue light chased the darkness into the far reaches of the building.

"Jack!" the three humans cheered gratefully as the sprite slice through one of the many upper windows followed by the dragon's dark form bursting through a thick line of shadows that had prevented his interference earlier.

A tight smile- geared toward the humans –crossed the boy's lips before his expression was set in a determined glare cast at a certain corner as Toothless growled in the same direction. Seeing nothing there, the teens were just about to ask what the two were looking at when a tall figure stepped away from the writhing darkness. Jack was quick to move, placing himself between Pitch and the humans.

"Hello again, Jackson."

No one missed the way Jack's tense shoulders shivered at the slithering voice or the way the boy's own words were lightly trembling. "What do you want, Pitch?"

The shade chuckled again at the terror within the boy. "I was just coming to check on you. After that nightmare you must be quite shaken, but you give off such delicious fear I just couldn't help it."

"Forgive me for not believing you," the frostling scoffed, tightening his hold on his staff that was now level with the shadowed form in front of him.

Careless to the implied threat, Pitch lifted an idle hand and began to twist the shifting darkness around his hand absently. Sighing as if exasperated, he spoke in a dark voice without taking his piercing gaze off of the sprite. "You have a very bad habit of getting in my way, but I should expect this from one so useless." Jack flinched at the insult as if he had been struck, though the shade continued. "Centuries of being ignored have no doubt influenced your incessant need for attention and yet I somehow expected a higher maturity from you. All these years and the truth still hasn't quite been discovered; no one _wants_ to you."

"That's not true!" Rapunzel cried out, but winter's child seemed unable to hear her as his fearful, blue eyes widened in horror.

He curled himself around his staff as if seeking protection, though it did nothing to stop the onslaught of Pitch's words. Subconsciously, Jack knew they weren't true, but that reassurance lie far too deep; hidden beneath his insecurities. The hissing voice of doubt within his mind let every insult settle in each crack of hope his new friends had created until it festered like an untreated wound. " _Listen, Jackson, he's telling you the truth."_

"Then again, it's in your nature you destroy everything you touch. You just can't help but make a mess wherever you go." His shadow-play had stopped as his voice took on a taunting confidence that proved to the humans he was choosing every word carefully. "Even your creator turned his back on you after deeming you unworthy of his precious time. It must be maddening; having your dreams held so closely in front of you and yet never within reach."

Jack finally had enough. "Stop it!" he cried, covering his ears with tightly clenched fists and backing away on trembling legs. Had it not been for Toothless' sudden appearance behind him the boy would have fallen to the ground.

The Night Fury was immensely confused. Why was his tribe's new hatchling acting as if he was injured when the threat hadn't begun his attack? Was it an invisible assault? If so, why were his other pack-mates not interfering? He could understand that the evil man in the corner was insulting their cub, but he was at loss as to why the words were allowed to continue. He had witnessed _his_ human defend himself from such things so why was he not assisting someone else?

Unable to figure out what was going on, Toothless took it upon himself to act out on his tribe's failure to protect their new kin. Growling dangerously at the shade, he bared his teeth in warning while simultaneously placing himself in front of his new human and wrapping the cub in his wing. He had already claimed this cub by covering him in his scent; the enemy should know better than to harm any pack-mates of a dragon such as he.

Yet another surprise to the dragon was the aura of unsure hesitance permeating the air around the frostling while he was being guarded. Toothless could only assume that the boy didn't expect any assistance which only brought a darker anger into the beast. Why would he think a Night Fury of his power would stand aside as the youngest of his tribe was tormented? This was yet another moment when the dragon desperately wished he could speak to humans if for nothing more than to scold them harshly for not coming to the cub's aid.

If they wouldn't defend the cub, than Toothless would.


	6. Witness

Pitch fought to keep a snarl off his face.

He didn't count on the dragon to interrupt.

His plan had begun just as he'd hoped. By reaching the group of humans before the sprite's interference, he was able to surround them in a haze unable to be seen by their limited eyes. This barrier prevented the teens from moving or being heard; they were trapped within a binding that forced them to look on while their new friend was torn apart. Even Jackson wouldn't be able to see it, only left to assume his new companions didn't care enough to intercede on his behalf.

Choosing his words with a precision he praised himself for, Pitch used every dirty trick he could pull to tear away at the cracks in the boy's mind. He had felt each shard of insecurity during the nightmare he had sent to remind the frost brat that the darkness was still- and would always be – there; ready to burst forth whenever their master called. There was a distinct drop in the fear that he had previously been able to pull from the boy; those blasted humans had given him something to hope for.

This, of course, had to be remedied immediately as Pitch was nowhere near willing to give up his tasty treat without a fight, however, he found that the winter sprite responded far stronger to verbal insults than physical as- though the shade hated to admit it –the boy was a competent fighter in his own right.

Each word was a searing blade being plunged into the ice-elf's core and amplified by the lack of reaction from those he had come to trust. The fragile hope within him was shattering bit by bit and yet, just as the last of it was cracking, just as his eyes were swirling with the darkness of doubt, the blasted beast broke free from the haze and startled Jackson out of his mounting depression.

In an instant, the spell was broken. The humans were made aware of their entrapment and freed of it with the knowledge, the shadows circling the frostling dissipated with the distraction, and the boy himself began to struggle in Pitch's grasp; all of this because of that dragon.

No matter, the Nightmare King consoled himself, his fearlings still had a hold on dear Jackson's mind enough for him to continue the torment. Soon, his mere presence would send the boy into a panic. After that, it would be child's play to sweep up the broken pieces and mold the impressionable sprite into a creation of his own making.

For now, however, all there was left to do was leave a haunting message and fade back into the shadows until he could collect his prize.

LINE

Hiccup was finally able to move.

It was strange; one minute they were all ready to defend themselves against Pitch at Jack's side and the next, he couldn't move. He had called out to the young boy multiple times as had the girls, but none of their words seemed to be able to reach him. Instead, they could only watch as the black haze in Jack's eyes began to complete overcome the bright, blue.

The Viking shook his head as if confused for a moment before fury ignited in his expression.

That was a dirty trick. This sentiment was all-too obviously shared by his female companions as their expressions matched his own determined glare. Without having to say a word, they used Toothless' offered distraction to retrieve their weapons and ready for retaliation.

It wasn't long before and opportunity presented itself in the form of dragon's fire clearing a path towards the shade who only just managed to dodge the flame.

With a cry, Merida released an arrow that traveled in front of Hiccup as the armed Viking sliced his way through the living shadows. The two continued the attack while Rapunzel, equip with her trusty frying pan, stayed back to defend Jack who had yet to react despite the growing number of fearlings diving at him.

Another few loosed arrows and one finally hit the ever shifting target.

Pitch cried out in a mixture of pain and surprise at the projectile now lodged into his shoulder. The slight misstep gave Hiccup the perfect chance to land his own blow to the shade who managed to slide just enough to avoid the brunt of the lunge. He did not, however, complete the move without farther injury as the Viking changed his blade's path in just enough time to slice a gash into the Nightmare King's side.

Unable to call upon the help of his shadows as they were too busy scattering away from the all-encompassing dragon fire that seemed to line the wooden building with light, Pitch was forced to order a retreat. He knew there was nothing more that could be done in this environment, but he shot a dark smirk towards the wide-eyed winter sprite.

The boy shrunk back from the piercing gaze, but could not look away as the most horrible words drifted through the air.

" _They won't be here to protect you forever, Jackson. I will return for you. We have all of eternity, after all."_

He was gone; fading into the darkness that immediately followed him through leaving behind a burning building and a shattered child.

LINE

Merida cheered as the darkness faded and lead her companions to the safety beyond the fire. Toothless and Rapunzel helped guide an unresponsive Jack while Hiccup took up the rear of the group. They didn't travel far, but were sure to get a good distance between them and the bright blaze their battle had created.

"Did ya see tha'?" Merida ranted once they finally stopped; her accent all the heavier with her excitement. "He didn' stand a chance 'gainst us!" She reenacted the newly embellished fight by swinging her arms and drawing a pretend bow. Her voice rose and fell with each description completely careless to the fact that her audience wasn't listening. "We thrash'd 'im and ah didn' even lose mor'n a few arrows! Ah mean we-" Her sudden stop had also gone unheard, but she didn't seem to notice. "Jack, are ye' alright?"

The boy was still silent; staring off blankly ahead as if Pitch was standing just in front of him. He didn't react to the nightmare's defeat, the heat of the fire that must have been highly uncomfortable for the child of winter, nor his companions' attempts to bring him back to the present. Shadows danced freely in his wide, teary gaze.

"Jack?" Rapunzel tried again, gently taking his cold hand in her warm grasp.

Hiccup placed a hand on the boy's shoulder as Toothless let the listless sprite lean back on him.

Joining the group, Merida inched her face into Jack's line of vision, hoping to interrupt the strange spell he seemed to be trapped in.

Surprisingly, it worked.

Blinking to clear his hazy gaze, winter's child cast a strangely fearful glance around him before he was able to settle his racing thoughts. The humans, he noted, were standing at his sides with confusion obvious in their expressions.

He opened his mouth as if to speak, but closed it only a moment later.

The humans could only look on in confusion.

"Jack, what is it? Are you hurt?" Hiccup asked with a gentle grip on the boy's shoulder.

After a quick look at the Viking, Jack shook his head and spoke, though his voice was so choked it was a slight challenge to understand. "I-I…No, I'm f-fine."

No one was convinced.

Merida backed up a bit to allow the boy some room before continuing the question. "Common, Frostbite, we won' judge you. Jus' tell us if you're hurt so we can help ya."Despite her attempt to soften her words, they still came out harsh enough for the sprite to shrink away ever so slightly.

Toothless, of course, was having none of this as he still couldn't understand why his pack didn't initially defend the cub. Snorting haughtily, the dragon shifted his tail to wrap around the frostling's waist and pull him into a pseudo-hug against his side. Hiding the boy behind a large tail and two all-encasing wings was all it took to completely cut off the human's view of him. Toothless offered another demanding sound in hopes that at least _his_ human would understand.

Rapunzel attempted to free Jack from the dragon's hold, but gasped in surprise when the Night Fury gave a half-hearted snarl. "Why…" she trailed off, completed at a loss for words.

Hiccup furrowed his brow a bit while trying to interpret what was happening. "I think…Toothless is keeping him away from us for some reason."

"But why?"

Light green, snake-like eyes were very notably cast back towards the light coming from the burning cabin.

"He's upset about something involving the fight…something we did…" When the dragon tightened his hold on the frost-child, with an indignant gaze focused on the humans, understanding began to dawn in Hiccup's expression. "No...something we _didn't_ do."

Toothless huffed heavily.

Blinking, the teen explained his findings in a voice full of disbelief. "We didn't do anything. He's angry because we let Pitch hurt Jack."

Deciding not to merit the discovery with a response, the Night Fury curled his head into the cocoon he created around his cub and laid it gently on the boy's lap while cooing softly. Still in a bit of a daze, Jack took to the gesture by gratefully scratching the dragon's head as his mind fought to find a distraction from the darkness clouding his thoughts. He couldn't resist the few tears that ran down his face. Pitch's words were not going to be easy to dispel.

Rapunzel watched the interaction with guilt weighing her shoulders. "But we couldn't," she all but whispered. "Pitch had done something…we couldn't move and no one could hear us no matter how loudly we yelled."

"It wasn' until you attacked tha' we could break out of it," Merida explained to the dragon who seemed to be ignoring them.

They could very faintly heard Jack's light voice sound out from behind the scaled barricade as if talking to Toothless, but whatever he had said only tightened the Night Fury's hold.

"Bud," Hiccup began sadly, laying a hand on the dragon's side, "you know more than anyone that I wouldn't have stood aside and let that happen. I tried to help, but Rapunzel's right, we couldn't move. As soon as the spell was broken we fought back with everything we had. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't there to save us. I would never forgive myself if something had happened to Jack."

Toothless nuzzled his head closer to Jack's chest as the boy staved off the torrent of sobs threatening to break free. Between his painful thoughts tearing at every sliver of hope left in him and his relief that his friends didn't abandon him, he was at breaking point; crying, however, would show how weak and young he was so he tried to swallow the lump growing in his throat. Tormented breaths began to escape his pursed lips causing the dragon to curl even further in until he was just shy of suffocating the boy, but Jack wished he could stay there for all eternity.

He felt so protected; wrapped within Toothless' hold as his friends were waiting for him just beyond the dark wing. If only it could always be like this. But it couldn't. Pitch was right. He wasn't worth their time and even if they- for some deluded reason –thought he was, they were mortal. He would live for centuries more while they would…not.

No amount of strength was enough to fend off the sobs that soon wracked his shoulders. Clinging to the Night Fury's neck was all Jack could do to keep from falling apart as the dragon made conforming sounds.

Hearing the young sprite's cries from outside of the dragon's hold, Rapunzel couldn't hold back her own tears. Despite knowing there was nothing more she could have done, the fact that Jack was so hurt with her so close and yet so powerless fed the guilt within her. She felt a warm arm circle around her shoulders and looked up to see Merida in similar condition, but trying to share what comfort she could.

Hiccup was left to sit with his hand atop his best friend and unable to do anything to help the boy who had so readily taken to them for the simple fact that they could see him. Such a trusting sprite didn't deserve this treatment. Resisting the pointless urge to glare hatefully at the moon and the shadows it cast, he rubbed a soothing hand along his dragon's back until the wing unfurled just enough to allow him entrance.

Jack thought for sure the air let in by the absence of the living barricade meant he was being pushed away, but the air was quickly cut off again and, almost instantly, he felt a hesitant pair of arms wrap around his shoulders. Toothless' head was gently pulled from his grasp and, instead, nudged at his back until he was flush against the body in front of him.

Not caring who or why for the first time in his existence, winter's child buried his teary face into the newcomer's neck and held them as tightly as he could through his weakening muscles. He could feel the warmth around him start to increase, but he simply coated his skin in enough frost that it wouldn't affect him nor those trying to comfort him.

Words began to circle the darkness around him, though the voice was far more welcoming than the one he was accustomed to. Jack clung to the repeating mantra until he memorized every syllable and the way the voice was so soothing and deep and how he could feel the vibrations through the speaker's chest and into his own as he held to their clothes as tight as he could.

He would throw his pride away for even a second more of this comfort. He couldn't remember ever being held so close. Feeling his companion's steadying heartbeat past his voice was something he had longed for far longer than anything. Jack's subconscious provided the knowledge that the voice and form belonged to Hiccup, but that didn't change anything.

The boy was cold, but not uncomfortably so. Regret and guilt poured through his heart as he felt just how desperately Jack held onto him; so in need of reassurance. Taking the sprite's lead, Hiccup tightened his hold and pulled him close to his chest with one hand on the boy's back rubbing gentle circles and the other buried in the snow-white hair. He began to speak, hoping it would work the way his father had always done for him. Even the worst of nightmares could be chased away by the simple comfort a heartbeat could offer, but Jack had far more than a nightmare to face.

"It's alright. It's okay. We're here. We can see you. You're not alone. He was wrong. You mean something to us. We will not leave you."

The words themselves were more useless than anything, but the relaxed muscles the chest-vibrations caused were far more meaningful than the words themselves needed to be. Once he ran out of such simple phrases, he decided to hum a song he had caught his dad singing a few times. Hiccup wondered if it was something his parents had once shared, but now was not the time to contemplate that. It seemed to do the trick as Jack shuddering sobs began to taper off into uncontrollable bursts of breath that proved how heavily he had been crying.

It felt as if hours had passed before Jack's gasping lungs began to even out into weak hiccups, but the Viking didn't let the sprite go. Overly grateful and far beyond exhausted, winter's child catered to the unsaid order and remained buried in their makeshift cocoon.

Still unable to help, the girls could only find a slight relief in the fact that they could no longer hear Jack's crying. Merida then took it upon herself to gather what supplies they managed to salvage and began to pool a pile of sticks in the largest space between the surrounding trees. It took some time, but soon, a fire was slowly building and Rapunzel joined her friend. Together they searched the bags for food.

"Find anything?"

"Nah. Nothing we can use. I take it ya 'aven't either."

The brunette shook her head, "I think we've pretty much lost everything."

"You have any ideas?" Merida asked, casting a glance back at their friends who has shifted a bit.

"Not really," she sighed, "I guess we'll have to wait until Jack is better before we can travel to get anything."

Casting a worried glance at the dragon pile, the Scott pursed her lips. "Should we say s'mething? It'll be well past midday soon 'n we skipped first meal and second," she allowed herself a small smirk, "Frostbite doesn't really look to be good f'r skippin' meals."

Rapunzel contemplated this for a short time before shaking her head. "They'll come out when they're ready. The best we can do is prepare what little we have. We can worry about the rest when everyone is accounted for."


	7. Changing

**Sorry about the long wait as well as the lack of ANs on the past chapters (though I'm sure I can guess which one is the more concerning). I made sure to make this one of the bigger chapters seeing as your patience definitely deserves it. Not a lot happens, but this is kind of where the change in Jack starts to get worse. I'm trying to build relationships between each character individually since I've never been good at writing for a group of people, but you can tell me how well/bad I'm doing at the end.**

 **There is a bit of a warning, thouth, I didn't really edit much of this as I haven't had much time to even write it so feel free to let me know if you have any questions or see any mistakes. Your feedback is always appreciated!**

 **I'll update as soon as I can, but for now and as always…**

 **Read. Review. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Nothing gold stays._ Jack remembered hearing that long ago and passing it off without a second thought. Not having anything in his life he could label as 'gold' was more than likely the reason, but now he understood.

He knew he couldn't stay wrapped up forever. Well aware of how much time was passing with each beat of the pulses around him, Jack decided the time had come to pull away. It was not worth the mortals' limited life to waste on the lost cause that he was. Shifting back towards the dragon brought the human to light of the movement and he pulled away. Toothless seemed a bit more reluctant to uncurl himself from the cub, but he followed suit.

The world around them was far more accommodating than expected. As it was hours past noon, the trees provided enough shade as to not blind them and Wind gently circle around her sprite to fend off the opposing warmth of the surrounding climate. Still, Jack squinted at the light and shivered at the warm air.

He had to give them credit as they were obviously fighting the urge to swarm him, but the smile it brought didn't last as long as it should have. With a deep breath and a practiced masking of emotions Jack stood and stretched his pale arms above his head with a plastered grin on his face. He groaned a bit as his muscles protested the movement after so long of being immobile.

Despite the attempts to keep themselves from staring, there was no mistaking the unnerving swirl of black in the sprite's endless blue eyes even as his all-too-fake smile shone.

"What are you making?" Jack asked curiously once he caught the girls' eyes.

Far too much time passed before they could catch on an answer and both were relieved by the Viking's save. "I'm surprised you found anything. I just assumed we'd have to restock."

Merida was the first to recover her emotions enough to produce a semblance of normalcy. "It wasn' easy, I'll tell ya tha'. Took us a bit to find anythin' at all."

"We have enough to make a…stew of sorts, but it will only last us one meal. We'll have to visit another village before the day is out." Rapunzel added, voice slightly too quiet to be considered normal.

The others, of course, did their best to ignore it.

"Do you want me to go out again?" the youngest offered, "I can take Punzie with me again or try to fly with someone else if she doesn't want to go."

Toothless grunted grouchily and pressed his head against his rider who forced a chuckle at the movement. It was obvious that the dragon could sense the tension and was doing what he could to ease it so Hiccup played along. "It seems as if our resident reptile would rather a group trip. That way we can get everything we need and not over-burden you too much to fly."

"That's a good idea," Rapunzel added, her tone a bit more upbeat, "That way we can all keep to our preferences. Last time, I wasn't too sure what all to get because I didn't know what all you lot wanted." She tried to end it with a smile.

Merida caught on, "Uh, huh. You jus' don't wanna pay for it all."

The group shared in a laugh as the princess' attempts to disagree. Though the sound of Jack's laughter should have been relieving to the humans, it only proved how accustomed the boy was to hiding his emotions. As genuine as the happiness seemed, the darkness continued to dance through his eyes uninterrupted. They wondered briefly if he even knew it was there.

A few more failed jokes lasted them until the food had finished cooking and, as it turned out, catering to their growling stomachs was enough to brighten the mood. Even Jack seemed more genuine in his expressions. Soon, they were left to clean up the clearing and pack what little survived the fire before heading out. Winter's child floated above the trees every now and again to ensure they were on track towards a village that looked a bit more promising than the last.

It was during one of Jack's recon missions when Rapunzel couldn't stand to hold back her question.

"I don't understand," she began, her gaze trained on the white dot far above them, "He's not upset anymore so why are his eyes…"

Merida's face twisted sourly. "Ya, I was wonderin' the same."

"Well, with the movement pattern and color we can basically confirm that it's something that Pitch did, but from there I'm not really sure where to go. I've never seen anything like it before." Hiccup rubbed his dragon's head in consideration. "Maybe if we break it down…We know it gets worse with his mood like with his nightmare and Pitch's attack. It's also safe to assume that he doesn't know about it though, if you notice his expression, it must trigger a painful train of thought…"

"What if it makes him remember? Ah mean, he's been by 'imself for years and surly 'e wouldn't wanna relive tha'." Merida provided.

Rapunzel quickly nodded, "That makes sense. When he attacked that boy in the village, he begged me not to hate him which, I'm sure wouldn't be a new reaction to him if Pitch was the first person to talk to him. Plus, before we could see him the first time we met Pitch, he seemed to be losing the verbal battle. People who fight for themselves often don't have such trouble."

"So mental warfare against Pitch," the Viking pondered, "That fits. I doubt someone called 'The Nightmare King' would have any trouble finding and exploiting weaknesses. That explains why he had such a terrible nightmare."

"Exactly! But what-"

"Jack! About time you got back here!" The boisterous voice of their resident redhead interrupted Rapunzel just as the winter sprite came into hearing distance. The others shot her a thankful nod before turning their attention towards their youngest as he landed gracefully on Toothless' back.

Lounging on the back of a dragon who clearly didn't mind the weight, the boy cracked a smirk at his human companions. "Had to make sure you lot didn't get us lost." He threw himself completely sideways with his head hanging off one side and his legs off the other like an exasperated child. "It's so much faster to fly. Wind is just _begging_ me to play with her."

That almost stopped the group in their tracks if not for the fact that the object of their fascination was riding away atop a contented Night Fury.

"Wait," Merida called, "who?"

Winter's child lifted his head slightly before spinning himself to lay with his feet bent above Toothless' head and his hands folded beneath his chin further along the dragon's back. "You mean who's Wind?" he asked a bit confused. "Isn't it obvious?"

Hiccup took pity on the sputtering girl and tried to interpret the question. "I think she's asking why you named a force of nature and called it a 'her' as well as inferring that you can understand it."

"Now that's just rude." Jack's pouting remark was emphasized by a brief gust of air as it they had agitated the breeze itself. "Wind is a real person…well…she's sentient at least and doesn't much approve of being referred to as an 'it'. Not to be trifled with, I can tell you that." His words ended in a bit of a mumble making his listeners wonder if he had, at one time, been the outlet after such an occurrence.

"Ay, so ye weren't foolin'…" the archer breathed, her bewilderment deepening her accent.

The burnet princess blinked owlishly. "So you can understand the…I mean…it…Wind- you can understand her?"

"Of course I can. How do you think I'm able to ride on her currents? I mean, I have to ask first, but she can pick up on silent signals better than anyone I know." Jack announced, doting on his bodiless friend as a gentle breeze whirled around him. "She was the first one to speak to me after I woke up and she's been there the whole time."

They would be crazy to admit it, but none of them missed the change in the air that made it seem almost…apologetic and guilty.

Closing his multi-colored eyes and smiling into gusts that lifted his already messy hair, Jack seemed to make the perfect picture of bliss, though, the smile didn't last as long before it melted away.

"I owe her a lot," he said quietly as if his words were just for the fluttering Wind to hear.

There was a moment of hesitation in which the humans wanted nothing more than to break the silence, but couldn't find anything to say. Much to their relief, however, a few short steps later found them in a large clearing surrounding a shimmering pond. The only word to describe it was serene. From the gentle sound of a bird passing through the trees to the flowers cast about in a way only nature could arrange to the scent of trees monopolizing every breath.

The pure definition of peace in realistic view.

The humans seemed frozen by the sight, but the young sprite floated onto the ground and started forward as if he'd seen it a million times as he, in fact, had. Once he realized that his companions were no longer following him, he turned to ask why before bursting into laughter at their amazed expressions. Though the silence had been broken, the ringing sound of the boy's giggles did nothing if not add to the serenity of the clearing.

Merida was the first to break out of her thoughts as a playful scowl was shot towards Jack. "It's not nice ta' make fun of people, ya' know," she scolded lightly.

Her voice snapped the others out of their endless staring while it only made Jack laugh all the more.

"I can't help it," he choked, "you guys looked so weird!" Taking breaths to calm himself down, he was soon left with hiccups. "You looked like you'd never seen a pond before."

"It's just so…" Rapunzel couldn't finish her sentence.

"I've never seen a clearing so…serene…before," Hiccup admitted softly, unable to find a better word to fully describe their discovery.

Jack looked about considerately. "I guess," he said with a cryptic fondness, stepping toward the sizable pond without any sign of stopping before he placed a gentle foot on its surface. "I've never really seen it that way."

Confusion flitted through the Princess' eyes. "What do you mean, Jack?"

"Hmm?" He hardly paid them any mind as he gracefully slid across the glittering surface. It was only then that the humans realized the pond was frozen.

"Wait," Merida drawled, "when'd you freeze the water?"

Attention still elsewhere, winter's child voice was a bit more distanced than normal. "It's always been frozen."

It was now Hiccups' turn to scowl. "How's that possible?"

Jack shrugged honestly, "I've just always assumed it was because of the moon. That he'd kept it like this so I would never forget." Deep blue eyes drifted to an oddly colored patch of ice near the center before his thin shoulders shuddered slightly.

Light brightened behind the Viking's eyes as the epiphany hit him. "You'd said you were pulled out of the water when becoming a spirit," he mused as his voice darkened with the realization, "This is where it happened, wasn't it?"

Twin gasps fought to be stifled by the girls who hadn't yet connected the dots as their young friend nodded distractedly.

"Yes. I don't remember anything before the pond so it's kind of special to me, which works because nothing ever disturbs this place. I've never once seen any life go beyond the border. It's as if they don't even know this is here. Maybe it's something the moon did when he pulled me out of the ice." Darkened eyes lifted towards the sky, but there was no moon for them to glare hatefully at.

Following his gaze, the humans glanced between each other before coming to a silent consensus.

"Why don't we stop here for the night? If nothing even enters this place, then we won't have to set up a watch." Rapunzel forced happiness through her words as she successfully pulled Jack's attention off the darkening sky and back to the earth.

He nodded quickly, realizing he had spaced out and not wanting to worry his frien-company. "That's not a bad idea, Punzie!" he grinned halfheartedly, "I don't know if you'll be able to make a fire or anything that can change something in here, but you can try while I go out for more supplies. The village isn't far from here. It'll only take me a few minutes."

The humans blinked. Wasn't the whole idea of this trip so that everyone could get the things they needed? Why was Jack trying so hard to get away? Plus, thanks to Rapunzel's explanation of their first supply run, they knew the sprite had no money or ability to buy rather than steal. He'd previously said he didn't like stealing, but wasn't that exactly what he was offering to do now?

"Why don' we all go if's tha' close?" Merida said with a shrug of indifference, though her eyes betrayed her unwillingness to leave the boy alone.

Rapunzel nodded in agreement, "That's a good idea! I know I need some pretty specific things and don't want to make you carry it all by yourself, Jack."

After a moment of shifting hesitation, Jack spoke in a mumble. "I guess, but I can't carry everyone…"

"I'm sure Toothless won't mind giving Merida and I a lift while you carry Rapunzel," he turned to the resident reptile, "Sound alright, bud?"

Having perked up from his nap under a tree at the sound of his name, the dragon seemed to assess the situation by peering at each of them in turn before jumping up and prancing around animatedly. He nudged against the frost child's legs and brought a small smile to his face as he began to dance around with the reptile.

"Then it's settled!" Rapunzel said cheerfully, "We'll all go to the village and then come right back here to set up camp as long as that's alright with you, Jack."

The boy nodded soberly, ignoring the rest of the conversation about what all they needed in favor of dodging away from Toothless who had just pounced at his 'prey'. Jack laughed openly at his playmate as he gracefully lifted off the ground and tip-toed on the dragon's back. Swinging his head back and forth, the Night Fury crooned in annoyance at his limited reach before standing on his back legs, successfully spilling the child onto the ground where he balanced on his staff to keep from falling. Too quickly for him to face the beast, Toothless had finally managed to pin Jack to the ground with his paws laid gently over the thin shoulders even as they shook with laughter.

Staff still in hand, winter's child laid a patch of ice under the dragon's back paw to make him slip slightly, but it was enough for Jack to silently call wind to sweep him out from the trap. Now standing before his 'adversary', he leveled his trusty weapon just above the reptile's head and created a flurry of snow that distracted him. This, however, seemed to backfire as they were both soon caught up in a game of who could chase more of the evasive flakes. By this time, the other teens had finished their conversation and had become the audience to the dragon and sprite. Holding back their chuckles in case it would cause any unnecessary embarrassment on their companion, they simply watched the game with a hint of envy at their ability to let go.

As the day was closing they managed to call them to attention long enough to mount up and head towards the small village. Any worry about their interruption ruining the mood was lost as soon as the two took flight and continued their games in the air. Racing, chasing birds, swooping in dramatic loops, by the time the group made it to their destination it was no surprise that the passengers of said flight were a bit nauseous.

Jack and Toothless opted to stay closer to the trees rather than follow the others into the crowds of people. There weren't many too humans wandering around, but the dragon was easily annoyed by the attention and petting while winter's child hated being reminded of his invisibility. Instead, they dropped to the ground, let their partners stumbled a bit, and sat comfortably in a pile under the comforting shade of the leaves. This also worked well because it was a bit too hot for the snow sprite to be out in the sun, but the shade seemed to be enough for the short time they needed it.

Hiccup cast a parting glance at the two creatures as they parted. He knew they wouldn't be gone long – even less time if he was able to get the girls in on his hurry – but something in his gut made him want to take that last look. It brought a smile to his face to see Toothless curled up on the ground between Jack and a large tree while the pale boy stood out dramatically against his dark scales obviously telling a story of some sort. They didn't seem to notice his passing glance, though the same could not be said of his fellow humans.

"They'll be fine, Hiccup," Rapunzel smiled sweetly, linking her arm with one of his.

Merida copied the movement from his other side. "We'll be back befor' ya' know et."

He chuckled as he was pulled along and was thankful when they let him go before entering the small shop.

They managed to find most of what they needed in the first stop, but had to ask the keeper where to find the rest. After two more buildings were ravaged by their overcompensating, the sky began to show the first signs of sunset and the need to return to their camp urge them onward.

Without communicating it to each other, they all seemed anxious to get to Jack. It was as if there was a voice whispering to them that they had to hurry before something horrible happened. There was no rhyme or reason to it seeing as they had a dragon guarding the child who – if nothing else – would call out if any problem arose, but logic did not seem to be reaching them at the moment. Finally, they broke passed the crowd to lay eyes on the peaceful pair.

Toothless hadn't moved much more than a slight shift while Jack now lay with one arm and leg hooked overtop the dragon's back as his others were dangling off the side; staff as always in his hand, however loosely.

A communal sigh passed through them at the sight and their pace slowed dramatically. Now, it was a bit of a snail's pace as they were almost unwilling to wake them from the obviously needed rest. Still, it was beginning to get dark and, though it was a short distance back to their camp, they wanted to get something food cooked before night fell. Plus, this would be the last place an untrusting boy such as Jack would want to be left sleeping thorough the night.


	8. Hopeless

**Sorry this post took so long. It's been a busy…month? Year? I've lost track.**

 **Either way, I would like to humbly welcome my avid readers to another chapter.**

 **Please don't forget to review with any thoughts, comments, or concerns as I'm always excited to hear from you!**

After a short trip back to the clearing, the two disgruntled creatures collapsed back to the ground where, in moments, they curled up and drifted back to sleep. During their continued nap, the others made preparations for the night as well as a meal. It surprised them slightly that their companions would so easily sleep through food despite not eating all day, but one only had to recall how much Toothless ate during lunch and how little Jack was accustomed to eating regularly.

Once the camp was set and the food finished, they tried yet again to rouse them to no avail.

"Must've kept em up pas' nap time," Merida joked after having shaken the boy's arm in an attempt to wake him.

"As long as he's not having nightmares," Rapunzel added softly. "Still, though, it can't be healthy for him to sleep so much."

Hiccup, just returning from collecting more firewood and piling it up near the pit they created, offered reason. "Toothless always sleeps; he's like a cat. Jack, though, has had a long and trying few days. It's no wonder he's so exhausted."

"You've got a point, ah can't remember im 'aving slept a whol' night since we've been travlin'."

Rapunzel reluctantly nodded. "I guess." She didn't look any less worried.

"Let's just let them sleep a while longer. Hopefully they'll wake before the food gets cold, but if not, we'll just try again once we've finished. As long as they eat something, I'm alright with letting them rest." With Hiccups decision made, Merida jumped to her feet and rushed the boiling pot of stew to separate it into their newly-acquired dishes. Rapunzel took a moment longer to silently will the young sprite awake, but soon turned to the bowl she was being handed.

The air was quite as a breeze blew through the leaves and a true peace fell upon them with the last light of the sun. Shadows danced around them with the fire's flickering, but they were content to let it go as long as those dark figures remained lifeless. It wasn't long before they finished their meals and, once again, turned to wake the sleeping pair. Unlike the first few tries, however, they succeeded almost instantly as Jack shot into a sitting position; his eyes wide with an elusive hint of fear in that black-blue gaze. Toothless sensed his distress and popped his eyes open with an immediate alertness in his expression, but seeing no danger, warbled in annoyance and laid his head back down as if ready for another nap.

"Hey, bud, you gotta stay conscious for another second so you can get some food in you. Fish don't last as long as you want them to and you know it." Said dragon huffed at his rider's words, but complied nonetheless when a large basket of fish was drug before him. It only took a second for the beast to begin devouring his meal.

Jack took a bit longer to respond when Merida held his food out to him. If they weren't mistaken, there was a hint of hesitance in him as he reached out for the bowl. As if he expected her to pull it away just as he grabbed for it. When he finally had it in his thin hands, he smile widely and blew cold air into it before inhaling every drop. He'd finished a bowl and a half before his eyes began to pull closed.

Hiccup, having cleaned up after Toothless' massacre, gently took the dinnerware from the drowsing boy before he managed to face-plant into the food. Rapunzel took his shoulders and carefully maneuvered him back to lean against the dragon who, after having eaten so much in one sitting, was barely able to open one eye enough to see what was rubbing against his side. When seeing it was his new little cub, he purred softly and closed his eyes fully; breaths evening out to signify his passing into the dream world. Responding to the Night Fury's rumbling purr, winter's child curled into the black scales and unconsciously burrowed into his wings until only his pale feet shown from under the make-shift blanket and white hair poked overtop.

It was not easy to keep from crooning at the adorable sight, but the teens managed it before wrapping themselves into the nests they created for themselves. Hiccup, however, gave his best friend a quick pat on the head as he settled on the dragon's unoccupied side.

Of course, their rest was rudely interrupted by a frightening gust of freezing cold wind.

Having fewer blankets, Hiccup shivered uncomfortably before blearily opening his cemented eyes. He trailed his gaze towards the only possible source of this weather, but did not find the same sight he had seen before falling asleep himself.

Jack was standing completely still in the center of the lake, staff clenched tightly in his hand, and his eyes drawn off towards a small shadow figure a short distance away from him. The young sprite was speaking to it, but the Viking couldn't hear a word. It was as if there was some kind of filter between the two seeing as the silence continued even though it became obvious that Jack wanted to shout towards the small shape. Distress lined his pale face as he raised his hand in an aborted reach toward the figure that appeared to disappear under the ice, though it remained whole. Jack tried turn away from whatever he was seeing, but his eyes were somehow glued to his spot.

As the moonlight danced between the writhing shadows, Hiccup caught a glimpse of the boy's gaze and gasped at the amount of black overpowering the blue. Jack wouldn't last much longer if this was truly the sign of mental warfare. Jagged spears of ice suddenly tore out around him as if vying for protection from the unseen enemy as a thin layer frost covered the trembling form.

Pulling himself to his feet with the help of the dragon's front paw, the Viking hurried his way passed the girls and towards his new friend, only hesitating when attempting to tread ice with his prosthetic. Taking it one step at a time, he managed to dodge the intimidating spikes and make it over to the boy without a single mishap.

"Not bad for a guy with one leg, huh?" He joked lightly, trying to pull the young sprite's attention to something more pleasant.

It did not work as planned, but the silence between them didn't last long. "I was here." The words were quite, almost a whisper in the waning darkness of night.

Hiccup nodded gently, "Yes, you told us that this is the place you first remember waking up."

"No," Jack said, a dark look of concentration aging his features, "no, this is where it happened. This is where I…I think I died." Blue/black eyes slowly fell to the ice below him and seemed to sink into their depths as if searching for something under the frosted surface.

The human had little understanding of what was being admitted, but he knew he didn't like the implications. Those dark words continued before he was able to speak.

"I tried to save her…I think I did, but I…I can't remember…What if I didn't…What if I failed? I destroy everything I touch."

"Don't say that!" Hiccup demanded, uncharacteristically serious. "I don't know what Pitch has been telling you, but look at what you can do!"- he gestured to the shards surrounding them –"You create snow, you form ice, you can speak to the wind- can _fly_. That's not a curse, Jack, that's a gift and you've done wonders with it, I know it! You're not a mess-maker. They're not messes, they're _fun_. Freezing lakes, snowball fights, sledding, winter isn't just cold and dangerous; neither are you. You find the light in things, Jack, that's your gift and I won't stand aside while monsters like Pitch try to take that away from you. I don't know what's happened in your past, but I know that if there was someone here who needed saved you did everything you could to do so. Even if it all didn't go to plan; I know you were a hero either way."

Jack's gaze stayed locked with his for a few extended moments before it was broken by a soft smile from his thin lips. "Thank you."

Matching his smile with a wider one of his own Hiccup opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted with his own gasp of alarm as his prosthetic finally decided to give into the ice. His arms instantly caught onto the thin arms of the boy before him who now held an expression of mild amusement mixed with slight concern. Rather than cater to the worry, the Viking laughed at himself in his attempts to steady his footing and stand alone. Jack silently created a short pillar of ice beside the human for him to hold onto.

"I wondered how long this thing would last. Never really agrees with ice on the best of days." Hiccup finally managed to relax his stance with a light grip on the pillar, but his attention was snapped away from his posture when Jack spoke.

"Sorry about that."

Confusion lined the older boy's face. "What are you talking about?"

Jack glanced up at Hiccup's face before returning his stare to his own bare feet. "I tried to stop you from falling that day, but I couldn't catch you because you didn't believe in me. Wind would have taken the fire with her so I couldn't boost you back up towards Toothless and the fire was too hot to put out before you got hurt." Guilt was prevalent in his shoulders as if he fully expected his new friend to agree with the sentiment and hate him for his failure, but Hiccup didn't even consider it.

"Jack," he began softly, placing a gentle hand on the boy's upper arm, "I don't blame you for anything. It was my fault for putting myself in that situation and not planning out an escape route before it became a problem." Jack began to argue, but wasn't given a chance as Hiccup hurried his words along. "I know you did all you could and I can't thank you enough for that because I know, without a doubt, that I would not have survived if not for your interference. Plus, if we thought it was your fault, do you think Toothless would have taken to you the way he has? He knows just as well as I do that you saved our lives that day."

Tears formed in those big eyes as they registered what Hiccup has said. Gauging the honesty and finding no lies, Jack found that he could no longer hold in the crystals that were soon running down his cheeks.

Another hand found rest on the opposite arm until they managed to pull the young sprite into a hug. Despite the comforting position, the boy remained stiff in the Viking's hold causing him to let go after a quick moment. The sentiment, however, was not lost on the winter sprite and he appreciated the comfort. An honest smile was shared between the two boys and the world seemed to pause around them.

Their moment was interrupted before another word could be spoken by a harsh rustling of bushes just outside of their sanctuary. Hiccup didn't hesitate to pull Jack behind him as he placed himself in the way of the possible threat. Sensing the unease of his rider, Toothless was startled from his sleep, his low growling bring the girls back into reality. They took far longer than their reptilian friend to understand the danger lurking nearby, but once they felt the tense air, they pulled out their respective weapons and unsteadily stood at the ready.

Without care to the defensive group it was nearing, the rustling continued to edge closer until it stopped just before it passed the line of foliage blocking it from view. It only paused a moment, though, until it pounced out of its leafy camouflage and nimbly dodged the arrow Merida expertly shot towards it.

"Oi! Watch yer'self, ya gumby!" A loud and thickly accented voice called grumpily. Regaining balance enough to face the group of travelers, the figure rose to its full height and began running sharp, green eyes over each one of them as if looking into their soul.

No one was able to breath, let alone speak as they regarded the creature before them. Standing well over 6ft tall, it took the appearance of a rabbit that just forgot to stop growing. It was clearly a male going by his deep voice, covered in tribal tattoos and had enough weapons to take on an army, though, this only made the grips they had on their own means of protection all the tighter.

A scowl formed on his face as his gaze landed on their youngest. "You," he said sharply, "It's you."

Hiccup stepped completely in front of Jack until the boy had to peak around his much taller friend to even catch a glimpse of the strange sight.

"The Easter Bunny?" winter's child asked cautiously, as if afraid breaking the tense silence would begin a war.

Merida caught the words and widened her eyes dramatically. "Wha'? Tha's the Easter Bunny?"

Rapunzel gasped, almost dropping her trusty frying pan in surprise, but the Viking just lowered his brows in a show of confusion.

"Yes, ah'm the Easter Bunny. Now, lower yer weapons. Ah'm not here ta' hurtcha. Jus' wanna talk to tha' one." He pointed a stubbed finger towards Jack who held his staff in a white grip.

"Why do you want Jack?" Hiccup asked with just enough light in his voice to not sound threatening, but not too little as to sound friendly.

The rabbit didn't have a chance to answer before the boy in question began to chuckle quietly. When curious eyes turned to him, he could only give a quick explanation of 'kangaroo' as he was too busy bursting into gut wrenching laughter; only able to stand by leaning on his staff. Following suit, Merida crowed in amusement and it wasn't more than a moment later when Rapunzel couldn't hold back her own bought of giggles. Jack's laughter proved, once again, to be all-too contagious as even Toothless joined in on the joke. Hiccup, still holding onto his composure enough to stay on guard, found himself unable to help a smile.

Of course, the newcomer didn't find it as funny. "Enough!" he all but roared, forcing the clearing into silence and Jack closer behind the Viking. Delicate frost responded to the mood in the air and began to spiral around the two boys as the humans' weapons were back at the ready. The Easter Bunny rubbed his fingers between each eyes as if too stressed to continue. "Ah didn't come here ta be mocked, ya hear?"

"Then what did you come here for?" Rapunzel asked with a hint of steel in her normally jovial voice.

Regaining his stature, the rabbit narrowed his eyes on Jack. "Ah came because I felt a light go out." There was no answer past confusing glances shot at one another so the rabbit continued. "My name's E. Aster Bunnymund, or jus' Bunny, 'nd ah'm a Guardian of Childhood. It's my job ta' keep hope up in th' children of th' world, so ah can feel it whenever one loses tha' hope."

The implication lied heavily within the minds of the humans while Jack just scowled in slight understanding.

"I'm not a child."

"No, you're not, but somehow ah could still feel it when ya lost yer belief." He explained, expression as skeptical as the humans'. "Ah've come here ta see why tha' is. Because I shouldn' be called every time some random winter sprite, 'specially one tha's responsible for runnin' Easter, gets sad."

Jack didn't answer, but rather let his multi-colored eyes fall to his feet. To the others' surprise, his face betrayed the bitter resentment he was trying to hide. Before another word could be said, he took off into the sky with only a glance back down towards his companions as if to tell them he would return.

Once they moved, it was as if the light had caught the boy's eyes just enough for the rabbit to gasp. "Wha's goin' on with his eyes?"

Distrust was clear as day in every line of the group's face as they reguarded the overgrown rabbit. Jack had told the of his brief and violent interaction with Bunny in '68 (the second spirit to meet and inevitable wrong the boy), but the consideration that perhaps the newcomer could help seemed to trump their silence.

"We don't know," Hiccup admitted carefully, "We only noticed it a short while after meeting him for the first time. It's gotten worse, though."

"We think it may have something to do with Pitch," Rapunzel added.

Merida nodded, but left the explanation to those who noticed more than she had.

Bunny's ears went completely straight at the mention of the shade's name. "Wha' do ya know about Pitch?" It was more of a demand than a question, but it was answered all the same with a very brief overview of their few encounters.

There was far too much accusation in the creature's voice to bring out anymore trust in them, but they soon found that they didn't need to pine for an answer. A huge gust of wind cut off anything Bunny could say in response, almost knocking them over in its intensity. Wordlessly, it seemed to urge the group in the direction that Jack had flown off. Gasps erupted amongst the humans as the realization hit them.

"Jack's in trouble," Hiccup shouted over his shoulder as he swung atop Toothless as the dragon tore out of the clearing; the girls were hot on his heels. Bunny, however was left behind in complete confusion, deciding to report back to the Guardians before interfering. Surly these humans were mistaken anyway. No use wasting his time on some show pony.

Careless to the fact that the supposed 'guardian of childhood' was no longer with them, the four mortals followed the pull of the wind and soon found themselves face-to-face with a confrontation between their young friend and the shadowed enemy. The urge to interrupt whatever was happening, proved fruitless as a dark cloud of sand rushed towards them until they were all thrown into unconsciousness.

* * *

Waking up did little to ease Hiccup's worry. It took a moment for him to recall what exactly had happened, but he could only hope the memories were just of the nightmare he had been forced into.

Lifting his sand-crusted eyes, he regretfully found his hopes in vain as Jack's staff lay before him as its owner stood- one pale light facing an endless wall of darkness. Hiccup immediately found that he was unable to move a muscle in support.

Fighting the invisible hold for everything he was worth did nothing to shift him, but the Viking was able to discern that he was not the only one awake. It seemed as both girls were already struggling to free themselves as was Toothless who was also crooning in despair at the sight of the young cub facing the enemy alone.

They could only watch as Pitch stepped out of the darkness and began to circle Jack's now motionless form. Gaining flinches with whatever he was telling the boy made it clear that winter's child was not retaliating well. He needed help.

"Jack!" Rapunzel tried desperately, tears forming in his large, green eyes. "Please, Jack! Can't you hear me?"

Merida took up post as well, hoping beyond anything that they would be able to break through the barrier. "Common, Snowflake! Ya' gotta break outta this! Ah know ya' can do et!"

"Fight back, Jack." Hiccup didn't shout. He didn't even raise his voice higher than an urging whisper, but by some miracle, the boy seemed to have heard his plea.

Large, teary eyes that held more shadows than their normal blue, snapped towards them with too many emotions for them to decipher. He blinked for a moment, as if confused before sharp fingers pulled his chin back to face Pitch.

Something about even that simple interaction seemed to lessen the wall between them as they were now able to hear the conversation; however one-sided it was.

"I don't appreciate being ignored, Jackson. Not all of us are accustomed to such a reaction."

Pitch's words were chosen carefully, this made clear by the length of his pauses between them, but no one could say that they weren't doing their job as Jack's gaze fell to the ground despite the hand still forcing his head up. Black lines poured out of the shade's pointed fingers and ran up the sides of the frostling's face like veins only to disappear into his eyes.

Those dark orbs quickly filled with the shifting shadows as they completely took over the blue of the sprite's true nature. A long, sudden breath was forced into the boy's lungs as Pitch closed his free hand over Jack's open mouth and nose. Choking on whatever was being forced into him, the young sprite began to struggle in the enemy's grip; already too weak to break away. Cries from the audience of humans were blocked by the invisible barrier between them and the horrible sight of their friend being corrupted, but there was little more they could do than continue the fruitless fight against whatever was holding them back.

Finally, Pitch's face broke into a cheerless grin and he unceremoniously dropped the writhing child to the ground where he fell into a motionless heap at the Nightmare King's feet. Occasional tremors wracked his thin frame as the dark veins on his face spread completely through him, only to disappear once reaching the tips of his fingers and toes. Shadows lurked towards the hapless boy and swallowed him into a sea of darkness that began staining his pale skin a light ash, his hair the color of a raven, and his once-bright cloak an endless black only interrupted by the expanding edges of frost that was reacting to the boy's waring emotions.

No sound could be heard from the young sprite, though his mouth was open as if silently calling for help. Standing above the sorry sight, Pitch only chuckled darkly and began helping the darkness along.

"Give in, child. Soon you will be mine. No help will come from those useless guardians or your weak companions." At the mention of the humans, Jack seemed to get a surge of strength to fight back with, but it was all-too-easily snuffed out by those unceasing words. "You're immortal, dear Jackson. Do you know what that means? It means you will outlive them. You will watch as time takes them one-by-one. They will leave you alone; just as unseen and unheard as they found you."

At his command, Jack began to still. Slight shivering seemed to be his only sign of life as he breathed the writhing shadows around him. The air soon cleared of the wispy darkness and the young sprite blinked widely. Pitch's chuckle sounded far too confident to ease any of the spectators' worry, but it proved true as the next words were whispered menacingly through the tense clearing.

"Stand."

The command was simple, velvet in that deep voice, obeyed.

The boy stood slowly as if unsure. Confusion seemed prevalent in his pale features, but the obvious devotion almost broke the hearts of those watching.

"Master?" a small, lost sound escaped the changed frostling, but this only served to widen the shade's grin.

Holding out a dark hand towards the boy, Pitch didn't betray even a hint of surprise as Jack almost lunged to his side. Turning him to face his old companions, the Nightmare King reveled in the completed despair marring the spectator's faces.

"I would like to introduce you all to my little Prince of Nightmares," Pitch sneering proudly.

Almost clueless to what was happening, Jack simply smiled at the title and pressed the side of his head into the shade's chest.

Now able to see the boy completely, Hiccup fought the urge to cry out, to scream, to _anything_. Winter's child no longer resembled anything of the sort. His skin, though it held on to its unearthly pale, was now tinted a sickly gray meant only for the dead or dying. White hair had been completely taken by black save for small bits of light stubbornly shining through. Even his clothes had changed as his pants were a slightly darker shade and his cloak the color of the darkness holding him hostage. It was his eyes, however, that tore the strong Viking's heart into pieces. No more were the wide, curious, blue depths that spoke of child-like curiosity, optimism, and mischief; in their place were now orbs of black with a sliver of the poisonous gold of the enemy's just around the pupil.

The child now truly looked like the Nightmare Prince he had been forced to become.

Rapunzel and Merida were throwing insults and curses at Pitch, no doubt just as horrified as Hiccup was, but he managed to stay silent. Toothless settled for a deep throated growl that, while low enough not to be heard, was far more deadly than any other warning his prey would receive. Should the dragon not have been restrained, Hiccup hos no doubt the Nightmare King would be but a pile of ash within the blink of an eye.

Responding to the harsh words, Jack straightened his stance and tilted his head in confusion. Why were these humans insulting his master? Why was his master allowing it? Was he waiting for the right moment? Or did he expect Jack to silence them. That must be it! The boy's mind clouded with a fog as the thought came over him. Almost as if he wasn't in control of his own body, his legs shuffled forward closer to the now-sputtering humans. Once he was close enough, he distantly felt himself reach for his familiar staff and point it towards them.

Silence overcame them at the wordless threat.


End file.
